


Silver Blood

by Neon_Zephyr



Series: Riven Starlight [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Brief Explicit Language, F/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Other, Post-Sinnoh, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2017-12-20 16:40:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 237,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/889500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neon_Zephyr/pseuds/Neon_Zephyr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Prophecy of the Chosen remains incomplete. The Chosen One must bring the Elements together to defeat an ancient evil. Accompanied by friends new and old, he will uncover a forgotten world and unearth secrets that may best lay buried. In the heart and blood of a young warrior rests one such dark secret, which threatens to destroy the Chosen One. </p>
<p>Assuming he can even survive long enough to learn it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Mountain Spirit/Chapter 1: Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a few years now, and I've been uploading it to FF.net and my DA. So, to celebrate the upcoming end to my recent hiatus, I've decided to start uploading it here. I'll be uploading at least a chapter a day until it's caught up to the most recent FF/DA chapter. (Though, looking at my old writing has made me cringe quite a bit, so I apologize in advance.)
> 
> This story takes place post-Sinnoh in the anime continuity. Though, in part due to having started back when Gen IV was in full swing, there are a few differences beyond just disregarding the plot of Gen V on and so forth. Most are probably obvious upon reading, but there are a couple I can get ou of the way real fast. First, Brock doesn't decide to become a Pokémon Doctor, but will be co-Leader with his brother Forrest back in the Pewter Gym while he still pursues becoming a Breeder. Team Rocket (the TRio) haven't been sent on a mission to anywhere (yet). And, of course, this fiction acknowledges the passage of time throughout the series, calculating Ash's age to be sixteen at the beginning of his plotline. 
> 
> Gen V Pokémon were originally going to be mostly ignored, but not outright denied; however, with Gen VI coming up, I'll probably have a few mentions here and there (with one major one near the end). Beyond that, it shouldn't be too hard to follow, but I'd be more than willing to answer questions and clear up confusion.
> 
> [Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, clearly. Everything official is copyright to Nintendo and their respective owners. Plot, original characters/concepts, etc do belong to me, I guess. This disclaimer is for the entire story, and will not be repeated on every chapter.]

The Ninetales sat still as a statue on top of a stump. He was staring silently into the field before him, where a huge flock of Starly were pecking bugs out of the ground, and eating grass seeds, and goodness knows what else. Then, something caught his eye. 

Something, maybe a human, stumbled around, and fell, face first, right nearby the flock. The Starly nearest to it all flew up in surprise, and then landed again, continuing their lives as if nothing had happened. In the brief moment that they were in the air, Ninetales noticed that the creature on the ground was wearing a very bloody, and very torn blanket as a cloak and an old, battered baseball cap, backwards. 

Mew! What could've happened? 

Then, the Ninetales noticed that the figure was moving, barely. It seemed to tense. 

_Holy Ho-oh!_

The creature leapt to life, lashing out at a Starly-scaring the rest away-grabbing it, and biting it on the back of the neck, issuing a horrible crunching noise as the bones snapped. It was a Lucario! A ragged, one at that; it's ribs were poking through its skin, and it was covered in half-healed wounds, the fur around them stained with its own blood. How the hell could such a beat-up, starved beast still be alive? No wonder it was killing, and now eating the dead Starly raw. Hunger must've been driving it mad. 

Her, the Ninetales noticed. The Lucario was female. Probably abandoned, too. 

"Arceus-damn," the Ninetales, the Fire Sage, muttered to himself. 

Deciding that the creature would survive until sunrise the next morning, the Ninetales got up and started off towards the east, to Mount Moon. 

"Perhaps the spirits will know what to do," he said to himself. "Or, at least the Night Sage will have some advice...." 

The Lucario never noticed any other living thing, as she gratefully ate her prey. She was done with it all! She was going to hide herself away, some place _they_ would never find her, ever again! She grasped the bloody pearl necklace around her neck. No, they would never find her, she decided, the Starly's bones crunching in her mouth. She would never trust another one of them, as long as she lived. 

"And," she said in a low voice, almost a growl, "if another human ever comes within my sight again...I'll _kill_ them!" 

...  
... 

The cloaked figure stood in silence at the crossroads. He poked at the soft ground by his feet with the tip of a katana, almost absentmindedly. The road forked into two before him; Pewter City to the northwest, Cerulean to the northeast, and his home in Viridian City lay to the south. 

He hated this spot more than any other place in the world, even his home. In truth, all he knew of this road was heartbreak and loss; at least at home, he still had memories of love, of the one he loved and loved him, the only creature he had such a relationship with. 

"It's all his fault," he growled, his voice strangely strained. 

" _Sire_ ," a Houndoom approached him. " _We must return to base. Your father will not be pleased to hear that you're so carelessly risking your life like this._ " 

"He _won't_ be hearing of it, then. Less is more, 44-6-2." He hated calling his bodyguard by a number. A number, God damn it! Living things were meant to have names. Names became a part of the soul, gave one a personality. But, in his life, only he and his father had names. For the most part, the humans and Pokémon that worked for his father were mostly called by number, not name. Humans had a letter in front of their numbers; Pokémon did not. 

44-6-2 was one of two Pokémon that were to be his bodyguards. 44-7-8 was another, an Arcanine. His two human bodyguards were H66-3-4, a man with short, tan hair, and F23-7-3, a woman with very long hair that she dyed many different colors. Lately, she kept it a bright green color. These three were at home; only 44-6-2 was with him. All four of them were in perfect physical condition, and sworn to protect the teen's life. 

_As long as there's no profit in it for them otherwise,_ he scoffed to himself. _They could go back on that false oath in a heartbeat, if they thought they could get away with it. They'd even kill me themselves, if they saw something in it for them._

_Trust no one,_ he told himself. 

"Let's go home," he said softly, and started to walk to the south, the Houndoom close behind him the entire way. 

_It's been over three years._

He never relaxed his grip on his sword during the entire trip, always at the ready, his instincts tense and alert. 

...  
... 

About a week later, another teenage boy sat at the same fork in the road, leaning his back against the sign that said which road went where. A Pidgeot sat nearby, explaining how he got there so fast from Pallet Town to the south of Viridian, and how he planned on returning home in time for dinner. A Pikachu stood in front of him; his head was tilted slightly, a look of concern on his face. 

The teen simply stared at the ground, holding his favorite hat-which he'd won in a contest as a little kid-in front of him. His expression was serious; a rare thing on his face, and his stare suggested that he wasn't all there. His jet black hair was ruffled-he never thought he had time to comb it-and he seriously needed to get a hair cut-it was starting to get in his eyes. He had some slight muscle, and was finally getting some height-he was over five and a half (almost six!) feet tall. His dark blue-almost black-eyes were in the past, as various memories blended together in his mind's eyes. 

_"I know I could never..."_

_"Go on."_

_"Will I ever see you again?"_

_"You will. I swear."_

_"Uh...okay."_

_"Dey're loveboids!"_

_"You must be crazy!"_

_"You're a very lucky guy..."_

_"And...I miss her_ every _day...."_

He noticed his vision was blurry, and rubbed his eyes to find that he has been crying. What was wrong with him? Why was he obsessing over every memory that made him think of...her?   

He shook his head. It wasn't like him to think like this. He had to throw this feeling off, or it could affect his sleep or his appetite, or even his training. He decided that it was nothing. He stood up, dusting off his jeans, and put his hat back on. 

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked. 

"I'm fine," he grinned. "Just wanted to come here again. There's something...special about this place. It made me think... _makes_ me think..." he trailed off again, and sighed. "C'mon, buddy. Let's go home. Mom's making dinner for all of our friends, before I try to decide what region to go to next. If we hurry, we'll make it before it's done, so they're not mad." 

" _Leave it to you to think of your stomach,_ " Pikachu muttered to himself, as they mounted the Pidgeot. 

_I can't believe how much that crossroad has changed_...the teen thought. 

Pidgeot and Pikachu caught a scent, a familiar one, but pretended to ignore it. 

The teen had no way of knowing how accurate his thoughts had been. 

They flew off, towards the south, in peace.... 

...  
... 

A teenage girl helped set the table, in the Ketchum residence in Pallet Town. She wore a yellow T-shirt with barely any sleeves, a pair of blue jean shorts, sandals, and beautiful smile. Her blue-green eyes were bright with life, and her fiery scarlet hair was in her typical side ponytail. She looked up at her friends. 

One of them, a girl about two or three years younger than her, was also placing plates in their spots. She had her long, brunette hair kept out of her face by her favorite bandanna, which was red. She also wore a dark blue tee, and white shorts. She had kicked off her tennis shoes a while before, and was in her socks. Her sapphire eyes noticed much. 

The younger girl's brother, shadowed constantly by a Totodile, was setting up the silverware. He wore white slacks, and a green T-shirt, also in his socks, and his charcoal eyes were framed in glasses that only hinted at just how intelligent he truly was. His dark blue hair always seemed to be neat, although he rarely took time to care for it beyond washing it almost every day. The Totodile chuckled and babbled as its trainer went around the table, helping. 

In the kitchen, a woman was stirring something in a large saucepot on the gas stove. Her long, brunette hair was tied back in a ponytail, to keep it out of the way, and she wore a pale yellow shirt, a floor-length pink skirt, and a white apron. Her russet eyes had a slight tired look about them, and it was clear to the others that Delia was worried about her son. A Mr. Mime was sweeping the floor, but made sure to stay near his friend as much as possible. 

Near her, a younger adult was stirring something in another, much larger pot. His dark, clay brown hair was always spiked in all directions, and his eyes always seemed to squint, creating the illusion that he didn't see much, when he actually noticed things many others didn't. He was wearing a green T-shirt (his vest was hanging with the others' jackets), dark tan cargo pants, and a white apron as well. 

At the counter, another teen-not quite to his second decade-was cutting Pecha berries very carefully with a large knife. He had his green hair kept out of his eyes by his red headband, wore a dark green cotton shirt, and red shorts. He almost always had a very reserved and calm air about him, and rarely lost his temper. 

Carrying ingredients back and forth for the others was a girl, about eleven or twelve years old. Her blue hair was pinned up, under her cap, and her blue eyes still held the innocence of a preteen. She wore a knee-length, pink and black, sleeveless dress, and a white, long-sleeved shirt under it, which she accented with a darker pink scarf around her neck. She would occasionally peer into the living room, trying to hide that she did so. 

"What's wrong, Dawn?" The nineteen-year-old cutting berries asked. 

"Nothing, Tracy," she said quickly, looking down to hide her reddening face. 

The other two started chuckling. 

"What's so funny, Brock?" Dawn scowled. 

"Yeah, what is it, Mrs. Ketchum?" Tracey added. 

"Don't go disturbing Gary, he won't like that," she simply smiled. 

Indeed, in the living room, laying on the couch and staring at the ceiling, was a sixteen-year-old boy. His jet black eyes were memorizing the pattern of paint above him, and his brown hair stuck out in all directions like a Sandslash's spikes. He wore a loose, black T-shirt, and white slacks. He had a white lab coat hanging by the front door; he'd come down from the lab during his trip back home. Gary Oak had been traveling around the world, researching Pokémon. While he still had a slight arrogance to him when agitated, he had calmed down a lot over the past six years, and was now very polite, respectful, and-as he'd noticed recently-quite charming. He had a tendency to make girls blush, and stammer, and... 

"Heh," he scoffed. "Look at me. Here I am, waiting for Ash to come back, intending to tease him, and I'm thinking about _that_!" he scolded himself. 

The front door swung open. 

"I'm home!" 

"Speak of the devil," Gary muttered, grinning and sitting up, "and he shall appear." 

"Ash!" Several female voices rang out at the same time. 

"No, Dawn, wait!" Brock's voice called out from the kitchen. 

"Hey, Dawn," Ash greeted, taking off his jacket and hanging it up, revealing the black shirt under it. "Hey, May," he added, when the young brunette came up to him. The redhead about his age started to approach him, smiling softly, but remained a few feet's distance away. Ash's eyes met hers, and he returned the same soft smile, a strange look in his eyes. "Hey, Misty." 

"Hmm?" Gary muttered to himself, before smiling and chuckling. He got up and walked over towards his old rival. "It's about time you showed up, ya overgrown Munchlax!" he punched him in the shoulder. "Where were ya, anyway?" 

"Around," Ash said vaguely. 

"Wha'cha doing?" May's younger brother asked. "What kept ya?" 

"I was thinking, Max," Ash muttered. 

"You, thinking?" Misty grinned, teasing. "I think Armageddon is upon us, if _you're_ thinking!" 

"Funny," Ash retorted. 

"What were ya thinkin' _about_?" Gary grinned. 

"Stuff," Ash muttered. 

"Stuff, eh?" Gary smirked. "Like...?" 

"You know, stuff," Ash seemed touchy about this. "Like, where I'm going next, what I'm doing with my life, stuff like that. Why?" 

Gary quickly glanced at Misty, before simply saying, "No reason." 

All throughout dinner, however, Gary couldn't stop wondering if there was something going on between his old rivals. He kept glancing back between the two of them-sitting next to each other, as usual-and tried to find any thing that could prove such a theory. 

"So, May," Misty started. "How were the contests in Johto?" 

"Challenging as ever," May sighed. "Drew's gotten tough to beat." 

"So, you ran into him a lot, huh?" Misty asked. 

"Kinda." 

"That's not all that happened..." Max chuckled to no one in particular. 

"Max!" May scolded, blushing. 

"Hehehe..." Max kept chuckling. 

"So, you like _this_ guy?" Dawn grinned, twirling her fork between her fingers. 

"How would _you_ know, anyway?" May asked her brother, ignoring Dawn's question. "You've been at home in Petalburg!" 

"But, we came to see you in the Johto Grand Festival," Max corrected. "And I definitely saw _something_."   

"Like what?" Misty asked. 

"Oh, nothing!" May cut in quickly. "So, how's the gym?" 

"Slow lately," the Water Trainer sighed. "Gets kinda lonely. Makes me really miss traveling." 

Gary could've sworn he saw Misty look at Ash expectantly, but she looked away just as quickly. 

"What about you, Ash?" Gary asked between bites. "Where do you intend on going next?" 

"I'm not really sure, yet," Ash said lightly. 

" _As if he'd plan something ahead of time,_ " Pikachu added. 

"Maybe you could reunite with an old friend, and travel a new land," Delia Ketchum suggested. She glanced around the table. 

"Yeah," Misty grinned. "Maybe you can try the Orre Region or even re-travel some place, like you did here in Kanto with May, Max, and Brock." 

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed. "Maybe I could call Richie, and we could go around Johto, or even go to those Sevii Islands." 

"Yeah..." Misty sighed. "He'd really love that." 

"Ash," Brock noticed something was wrong. "Maybe there's someone else, too. Someone you haven't traveled with in a while. Someone who has been stuck at home for a while. Someone who really misses you." 

"Y-yeah..."Ash stammered slightly. "I guess..." He inhaled and sighed. "I'll make a decision after dinner." He glanced at Misty, and then looked at the others. "What are you guys doing next?" 

"I'm gonna go to Sinnoh and compete for entry to the Sinnoh Grand Festival," May said brightly. 

"And I'm gonna enter contests in Hoenn," Dawn smiled. 

"I'm gonna start my journey alone, with Totodile and Ralts," Max grinned. 

"I'm gonna continue some more of my research here in Kanto, really going in depth into my grandfather's specialty of human-Pokémon relations, in addition to Pokémon evolution," Gary said nonchalantly. 

"I have to go home," Brock said quietly. "Forrest is having difficulty handling the gym, and my parents are busy with the rest of my siblings." 

"I won a week-long trip to the Whirl Islands," Tracy grinned. "I'm going next Thursday, and I plan on sketching a lot of Pokémon that are hard to find elsewhere." 

"He's also taking Daisy," Misty nudged Ash in the arm. "They've been awfully close lately." 

Tracy blushed, and chuckled nervously. 

"Well, it _was_ her idea for me to enter the contest, so..." Tracy stammered. He _did_ have a soft spot for Misty's oldest sister. 

Later, Ash placed a bunch of dishes in the sink. He turned on the water. 

"Is Tracy really...?" He asked. 

"With Daisy?" Misty asked, looking around. They were alone in the kitchen, cleaning up after the meal. 

_Maybe it's a conversation starter. It was a good idea. Maybe he's gonna...no. I've got to stop thinking he's going to make a move._

"Yeah," Ash said quietly. 

"I did walk in on them, uh..." Misty trailed off. 

"In on them what?" Ash asked. "Kissing?" 

"Yeah," Misty avoided Ash's eyes. 

"Must've been awkward," Ash muttered. 

"For who? Me or them?" 

"Both..." Ash said slowly. 

"Yeah, it was..." she muttered. "So, where are you planning on going next?" 

"Not sure yet..." he grinned, scrubbing a plate. "But, I can't wait to decide!" 

"You'll never grow up, will ya, Ash?" Misty smiled softly. 

"Oh, who wants to grow up?" Ash said just as his mother walked in. 

"You might change your mind one day," she smiled. 

"What on Earth would make me _want_ to grow up? Sixteen's old enough. I want to see the world, to be the best! What could make me want to give _that_ up?" 

"You'll see one day," Mrs. Ketchum smiled, and looked at Misty. 

Ash peered out the window, and froze. He dropped the cup he was scrubbing back into the water-filled sink, but didn't notice. 

"Ash!" Mrs. Ketchum exclaimed. "Careful!" 

Misty, however, saw the look in his eyes. 

"What is it?" She asked. 

Ash didn't hear any of them. Instead, he ran out of the kitchen in a blink of an eye, slipped on his shoes, and ran out into the night before anyone could stop him. 

Misty was right behind him. 

...  
... 

A Ninetales stood on the beaten path, in Pallet Town. Night had fallen, but he could see as easily in the dark as in the day. He seemed to be following a scent trail of some kind, an invisible track only he could see. He was chanting, and as he got closer to his target, the louder he got:  
" _Trail of fate, path of life anew,_  
 _Lead me to the only one who_  
 _Can place love in an empty heart,_  
 _And the reign of hope restart._ " 

He stopped his chant, and looked up. He saw a young male running out towards him, a girl about his age following him. 

"The Chosen One," the Fire Sage recognized him, even though this was the first time he'd seen him with his own eyes. "How strange...his blood...this is quite peculiar," he muttered to himself. "I must converse with the other Sages; this is very...surprising," and with that he seemed to vanish in midair. 

Ash stopped. 

"Where'd he go?" He looked around. 

"Who...what?" Misty stood behind him, catching her breath. 

"Something's out there, a Pokémon," Ash said. 

Misty rolled her eyes. 

_Leave it to Ash to get all worked up over a wild Pokémon._

Wait. 

His tone wasn't excited. 

It was serious. 

"I think it's watching me," he said quietly. "Don't tell the others, but, every time I come home to Kanto, I sense it watching me. And, it's not Ho-oh, or some legendary, either." 

"How long have you felt like that?" Misty asked. 

"Since...after Johto..." he muttered, a painful memory replaying in his mind. 

Misty said nothing, as the same memory flashed before her eyes. 

"I'm going after it," Ash said firmly. 

"Tonight?" 

"It's been haunting me, Mist. And, I get the feeling that it will forever, until I go after _it_ , and face whatever it brings my way." 

_Plus, then, maybe, I will have the courage to face the other thing on my mind._

"Ash, you're crazy!" 

"Mist, I've _got_ to face it! I can't run away," he sighed. "Besides, what could happen? I'll be fine. I always am. Really. So don't worry about me." 

"Who said I was worried?" Misty said defensively. "I'm a little concerned about your mental health, but I'm not _worried_!" 

Ash felt disappointed. 

"Then, you won't be wanting to join me?" 

"Pardon?" Misty wasn't sure she'd heard right. 

"I won't have time to meet up with anyone, so I'll be heading off alone." 

"You really _are_ crazy!" Misty was in shock. "You're gonna worry your mother sick! What if you get hurt?" 

"So, you _are_ worried." 

It wasn't a question. 

"Ash, you're my _best friend_. I'm more than _allowed_ to worry about you." 

The thought that Misty would worry about him warmed something in his chest, but Ash was also strangely hurt by her words. 

"You're not leaving until morning," Misty went on, not noticing the fallen expression on Ash's face. 

"Why?" Ash was taken aback that she would start telling him what to do like that. 

"Because, whether you like it or not, I'm coming with you."


	2. Icy Heart

The Fire Sage entered a very thick grove on Mount Moon. 

"Hello, old friend," a shiny Umbreon approached the Ninetales. 

"Hello, Nyx," Ninetales muttered. "I must speak to the Night Sage. Where is she?" 

"I can't say that I know." 

"What do you mean?" 

"She has announced that she is stepping down today, and hasn't told us who is taking her place. I just hope she doesn't choose that Murkrow...stupid thing can't do anything but suck up..." 

"Nyx..." the Ninetales started. 

"I know, Azar, I just want to make sure that she doesn't make a mistake. I'm very attached to my job as the Night Sage's apprentice, and I want the new one to know what he or she is doing." 

"Nila is not a young Absol anymore," Azar muttered. "She deserves to retire and accept the title of Elder Sage." 

"I'll take you to her." 

The Night Sage, an Absol known as Nila, resided in a small cave in the side of Mount Moon. She was almost asleep when Azar approached, but she slowly stood up, and approached her old friend. 

"Azar, it's been too long," she greeted kindly. 

"Nila," he said simply. "I'm not going to waste your time." 

"What is it?" 

"It's about Aura." 

"Thank you, Nyx," Nila nodded towards the Umbreon. 

"I'll go and get you some herbs, then," he politely nodded back, and ran off. 

Alone, Nila turned back to Azar. 

"Aura? That Lucario in our area? The crazy one?" 

Azar simply nodded. 

"What about her?" 

"I cast the spell we discussed the last time, and followed it." 

"And?" 

"It worked. I found him." 

"Who was it?" 

"The Chosen One." 

"Lugia's?" 

"Yes." 

"Well," Nila sighed. "It appears I chose a very bad time to retire..." 

Azar sighed. 

"Aura," Nila went on, "is still feral, isn't she?" 

"She will rarely approach another. She'll be kind towards injured Pokémon, and towards me. Other Pokémon, she still avoids, or views as prey. She hasn't seen a human since at least the day I met her, as far as I know." 

"In other words, yes," Nila thought out loud. 

"We know that the Chosen One must travel to every Sage's territory, and collect the Orbs of the Elements that we guard, in order to bring about the Age of Hope, according to prophecy. What if, when he comes towards the Fire Orb or the Night Orb, Aura spots him? We both know she's sworn to kill any and every human she sees. If she kills him, it will be disaster for all of us...the entire world could suffer." 

"Then, if he must come, you could disguise him." 

"How?" 

Nila was silent. A plan was already forming in her mind, one better than disguise.... 

"What are _you_ going to do?" 

"What the Night Sage should do: I'm going to await the Chosen One...and I won't step down until the Orb of the Dark Element is safely in his grasp." 

"That's very comforting," Azar said sincerely. 

"What do you think of Nyx? Think he's Sage material?" 

"He's hard-working, loyal, intelligent, wiser than any of us know, and determined. I have no doubts. If only _I_ could pick an heir so easily...." 

"Be safe, for Mew's sake," Nila called after Azar, as he started to walk away. 

"You too, Nila," he called back. 

_Ho-oh watch over us all_ , Nila thought. _And, give Aura the strength of heart to give love one last chance. Protect the Chosen One, yes. But, help Aura, too._

...  
... 

Aura had no desire to be helped in any way. She only wanted to be left alone; to live out the rest of her shattered life in peace. 

She held the limp, lifeless body of a Magikarp in her paws, eating it in large bites, without chewing. 

"Puh," she spat out a bone. "Freakin' bastard," she growled at the Water Pokémon she was eating. "Trying to kill me...after all the respect I showed you, thanking you for your life and all that jazz. And then you put me through hell? Arceus-damn!" 

"You shouldn't talk like that," Azar walked up to her from behind. 

"Arceus-damn!" Aura repeated. "You scared me!" 

"We need to talk," the Fire Sage muttered. "You've lived out here for three years now. I never pressed this matter, because I thought it was too...hard for you to talk about. But, something has come up, and I can wait no longer. Why are you here?" 

"Well, you see," the Lucario spat, "what happens is when a male senses that-" 

"You know what I mean!" Azar snapped. "Why did you come to this place to live? Why were you so injured? _How_? And, what is the reason you hate humans so much?" 

"I just did," she growled. "I just was. I just _do_!" 

"Aura..." Azar said calmly. "How did you get that name?" 

"Lucario are Aura Pokémon. End of story." 

"Why won't you talk to me?" 

"I simply don't _want_ to, damn it! Leave me the hell alone!" 

"Aura...I want to be your friend." 

"Maybe _I_ don't _want_ friends..." 

The Lucario tossed the remainder of the Magikarp aside, and stormed off. Azar sniffed at it, looked around, and swallowed what was left in one bite. 

"Oh, Legends help her..." Azar muttered. "God and Arceus _both_ give her the strength to give the Chosen One a chance...or at least protect him from her." 

Aura lived in a small abandoned shed in the woods, deep in the mountains to the north of Pewter City. She slept in a nest made of the pelts of certain kinds of Pokémon she hunted for food. With few exceptions-like the Magikarp earlier-Aura rarely ever wasted even a bone of her prey, treating each life she took with the deepest respect of any hunter. Bones lay in a pile in one corner. She used them to make darts and arrowheads and spearheads. On one wall, there was a fireplace-unused since the last frost-with a blood-stained pearl necklace hanging from its mantle. In another corner, she had piles of various things, from Elemental Stones to crystals to books to herbs to junk. In the middle of the floor lay an old, torn and ripped gray blanket and some of the bone arrowheads and spearheads, thread, and wood shafts. She sat down there, and pulled the blanket around herself, but didn't feel like working on her weapons, which were not for hunting. No, she would not hunt Pokémon with weapons. That kind of death was reserved for humans, which she hated beyond anything else in existence. 

Tonight, however, she simply sat under her blanket, still stained with her own blood after three years, and sat staring at the blood-stained pearl necklace. She reached out and touched it. 

"How could you...betray me...like that?" 

That night, Aura cried herself to sleep.


	3. Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the formatting difference between this chapter and the previous one. This is my first story uploaded here to AO3, so I'm still learning its methods and quirks.

            Sunrise did not come early enough. Ash could not wait to set out, to chase whatever it had been out there the previous night. He got up at the crack of dawn, after sleeping on the couch the night before. He slipped back into his clothes from his pajamas, and ran upstairs to his room where the girls where sleeping. He threw the door open.

            “Hey…!” He started, but stopped.

            For some strange reason beyond him, his mother had replaced his bed during the last year with a bunk bed. Dawn was sleeping in the bottom bunk, and May was sleeping in the top. But, that was not what had caught his attention. He stood still and silent for just a moment, watching Misty as she slept softly, curled up in his old beanbag chair, the blanket from his old bed wrapped around her. A piece of hair had fallen in front of her face and moved back and forth comically with each silent breath she took.

            Ash leaned gently against his doorframe, and watched silently-smiling to himself-for about five seconds before Pikachu groggily walked up to him from downstairs.

            “Pikapi?” He asked, and followed his trainer’s gaze. “Pikachupi!”

            Pikachu ran up to her, and jumped, gently, onto her head. Ash walked over slowly, and put a hand on her shoulder.

            Misty didn’t wake up right away. She didn’t really want to. She was surrounded by _his_ scent. It wasn’t until she noticed _who_ was waking her that she woke up entirely.

            “Ash?” She breathed, looking up at him.

            “You wanna go or not?” He said quietly.

            “Can I wake up first?”

            “Aren’t you?”

            “Ash…”

            “Fine. Will twenty minutes be enough?”

            “Can we eat, too?”

            “I’ll take care of that,” Ash could barely believe what he was saying. Before he- or Misty- could stop him, he went downstairs and took the package of sausage links out of the fridge. He took out the frying pan and set it on the stove.

            “Wait,” he stopped. “The hell?”

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu scolded, as he ran into the room.

            “I have no idea what came over me. I can’t cook, and here I am doing just that!”

            Pikachu simply chuckled, as the links started to sizzle in the pan.

...  
...  
 

A very different smell was filling Aura’s nose at that moment. She had a pot sitting over her campfire outside her shack home, filled with water and the meat from a Rattata she had caught in her hunt just before dawn. As the meat stew finished cooking-she liked stewing her meat for the morning meal, and roasting it in the evening-she cracked open a Pidgey egg she had found on her hunt, and ate its contents.

            The Lucario stiffened, sensing an intruder. She only relaxed when she saw out of the corner of her eye that it was just Azar. She kicked dirt onto the fire, putting it out, and ignored him completely. She took a wooden spoon-which she had carved herself years before-and tasted the stew.

            “Aura,” Azar muttered. “The time has come.”

            “What time?” Aura asked, forgetting briefly that she was supposed to be disregarding him.

            “Remember when you first came to live here? When I brought you before the Council of the Sages?”

            A memory of a dark night, surrounded by Pokémon, in a strange place came back to Aura. She simply nodded.

            “Remember Hikari? Remember what she demanded of you, if you were to live under Nila’s and my protection, but not directly serve us, as an aide?”

            The most mysterious Pokémon in Aura’s memory of that night was a large one-a female-that stayed in the shadows, only her eyes illuminated in the dark night. They called her the Head Sage, she recalled. She had been very kind, and had asked her request as if it really was simply a request. In fact, Aura wouldn’t doubt it if it actually had been. The other Sages probably wanted it more, or it was some stupid old law, or Arceus knew what else.

            “She told me that I was bound to the will of the Council, and must obey the Sages’ every command, unless the Chosen One-whoever the hell _he’s_ supposed to be,” Aura added under her breath, “Unless the Chosen One comes forth. Then, I’m bound to him, no matter his species, from Flames to Earth, Sea to Sky, Heaven or Hell, and blah blah blah…” Aura waved her paws around. “Silly old superstitions, I _do_ think!” She barked.

            “Aura…” Azar sounded concerned. “This is serious. The Chosen One will need guidance to each of the Orbs of the Elements, and no current Sage is allowed to aid in any way, at least not directly. You must do this.”

            “Let me guess. It has to do with that prophecy. The one about the Chosen One, the Elemental Orbs, and the Age of Hope, and whatever?”

            “Yes,” Azar sighed. He didn’t dare tell Aura that the Chosen One was human. He knew she hated them. But not…

            He shook his head. He had to ask; now, before it was too late.

            “Aura, why did you leave…your old home? Why did you come here?”

            “Why do you want to know so much?” Aura snarled. “The past can’t be changed, not can the world. I just get by in it. That’s all I can do.”

            “Aura, you were grievously hurt when you first came here. You were feral-and still pretty much are-and you are…not like other wild Pokémon.”

            “I’m not wild, you said it yourself,” Aura corrected. “I’m _feral_. Wild means untamed…feral implies untam _able_.”

            “I don’t want to _tame_ you. I just want to understand.”

            Aura sighed.

            “I just want to be left alone. Understand _that_.”

            “Aura, you can’t expect us to just…”

            “I _can_ and I _do_. All I want is to live my life as it is now. My old life is _my_ business. Butt out, damn it!”

            Listening from a spell, using the Orb of Night to watch, Nila sighed, and hung her head.

            “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” She muttered to herself. “I know what I must do.” The image on the orb changed, to two teenage humans walking down a beaten path. Nila’s eyes glowed, and so did the horn-like structure on her head and the Orb.

            _Wave of Disaster_ , she thought. _May it not take hold too soon, and may it be what the feral needs to let you live, Chosen One._

            _So much depends on you now._

_You… and her_ ….


	4. Silver

Ho-oh was not just any Pokémon. He was the Messenger of Arceus. He was his eyes and ears. He flew over Earth, waiting for Arceus’s predictions to come true. His prophecy of when the Chosen One would bring about the Age of Hope, by uniting-or, rather _re_ uniting-humans and Pokémon, by spirit, soul, and heart, by brotherhood, blood, and love. Led by a heart of empty love, he-or she-would bring together the Elemental Orbs, and…

            Ho-oh closed his eyes, as he flew over the sea. He couldn’t bear to think of that…not now.

            There was one place he could land, away from humans. Granted, it wasn’t far from where humans vacationed, on some islands, but this island rarely-if ever-saw humans. Ho-oh slowly descended, landing softly on the top of the tallest peak. He opened his mouth, and a song-like a bird’s-too beautiful for words issued forth. A great wave erupted in the seas below, and another Pokémon rose up to Ho-oh.

            Lugia had not conversed directly with his brother in…centuries. What could he possibly need to talk about that would bring him down out of the heavens above?

            “Brother?” Lugia simply hovered in the air near the mountain where Ho-oh roosted. He barely had to move his great, powerful wings to stay aloft, despite his huge size.

            “The one I marked, the human I showed you a vision of six years ago, was he the Chosen One of your prophecy?”

            “Yes,” Lugia said softly. “But, what does this have to do with…?”

            “He has one year,” Ho-oh cut him off. “Remember? They said ‘he has seven years?’ Well, six have gone by. Arceus has told me to give you the message to spread to the others. He has until the eve of his seventeenth birthday.”

            “One year?” Lugia gasped. “That’s not possible! It’s too short, too soon! He’s too young!”

            “It’s one life or our world, brother,” Ho-oh said darkly. “Arceus will not let us keep the boy from his destiny.”

            “He has the heart of a…”

            “Exactly,” Ho-oh interrupted again. “That’s why he’s the Chosen One.”

...  
...  
  


Silver hated many things. Hate was the only emotion he could _really_ feel for years. It filled his eyes, causing everyone he came across, except his bodyguards and his father, to flinch at the sight of him. One Rocket, only a few years older than Silver, would run in fear if he even knew Silver was _coming_.

            Right now, the majority of Silver’s hatred was geared towards another Team Rocket member, at least a year or two older than him. The girl stood about six foot or so, had long, bouncy, curly, golden hair, shiny, alert, deep amethyst eyes, lean, yet athletic, she was one of the most beautiful members of Team Rocket-and certainly the most attractive Elite, possibly second only to Miyamoto, who was MIA.

            And Silver hated her all the more for it.

            His father called her Agent 009-it was a rare thing for an Elite to be called a number over a name. While most Grunts and actual Agents were known by number-it was far easier for records and such-Officers, Elites, and similar were known by name. Her underlings called her the Black Tulip, after her favorite flower and secret weapon. Once, during a private rant, Silver had called her a domino, deciding that all he had to do was prove that he was better than her, and the others would fail too, like a domino effect. She had overheard him, and had since insisted that he-and practically everyone else that she didn’t view as inferior-call her Domino.  

            As he glared at her from across the room, all Silver could think about was how fiercely and fervently he _hated_ her…and why. She was an Elite, while he-Giovanni’s own _son_ , damn it-wasn’t. He wasn’t really inferior, but he didn’t have much command, either. He was the Boss’s kid, and that was all. He was destined to be the Boss one day due to _inheritance_ , not _worth_ or _loyalty_. _She_ was entrusted with top-secret info, while _he_ was told to go and train or read, or something, like a good little boy. _She_ was treated like an adult, while _he_ was treated like he was six instead of six _teen_. _She_ got to not only go out on solo missions but go to distant places and see the world, while _he_ had to stay home, or at least very, _very_ close by, and was constantly shadowed by his mistrustful bodyguards. And those weren’t the _only_ reasons, or the _biggest_ reason, that Silver hated Domino so much.

            No, he hated her the most because his father- _freakin’ bastard_ , he thought to himself-had the nerve to decide that the two ought to be affianced against their will-mainly Silver’s-until it was convenient for them to marry. When Silver’s mind was clear, he would admit that he understood his father’s logic; Silver would be the Boss one day, and since inheritance worked to prevent civil war and schisms, he would need an heir when that day came. And, Giovanni must’ve considered Domino _worthy_ , since she was an Elite and all, to mother such an heir.

            Not that he could _ever_ have a child with… _her_. The very _idea_ of being alone with her… _disgusted_ him. Not that he didn’t like girls, or anything like that. He would’ve enjoyed being with a girl, as long as he liked her. But, Domino…Silver just couldn’t. He hated her.

            Worst of all, she took away the only thing he’d ever loved.

            Silver decided that he could continue hating her later, and left the room. He passed a mirror as he did, but barely took note of his appearance in it. He stood just under six feet tall, his blue eyes-so dark that they almost appeared to be black-pierced others with a glare that seemed to see through _everything_ , and his crimson hair fell straight and just past his shoulders-he never had time to cut it. He appeared lanky and scrawny, but that was only because he was so sheltered. He was actually quite strong, as some had found out during more recent years, and had a temper that was shorter the older he got. He wore a black and red jacket over black jeans, and wore black shoes of some kind. Like everything else in his life, he wore what his father provided him to wear, what Team Rocket paid for.

            Silver decided that, his bodyguards nowhere to be seen, this would be a good chance to get out in the sun. He walked out of the front door, the sun’s warmth wasted on his cold heart. He and his father lived in a house near the edge of the city, ever since their old home in the Gym was… _destroyed_ …by a trio of bumbling idiots. The Rocket HQ was hidden in the City still, along with a few other bases throughout Kanto, and parts of Johto. Good riddance, really. Silver had hated living in that Gym.

            Silver walked into the busier parts of Viridian City, where it was unlikely that someone would notice him. Not that anyone recognized who he was, outside of the Rockets. He was far too sheltered, even as the son of his father’s cover. However, he still instinctively avoided others’ eye.

            He walked somewhat hunched forward, looking at the sidewalk below him. He simply wandered around, reveling in the normalcy of the sounds of people living normal lives and in being left alone. He walked into a grocery store, and looked at the fresh produce, as if he did so all the time. He picked up an orange, studying it as if trying to decide whether or not he wanted it. He set it back, and started to walk down another aisle.

            “May I help you, sir?”

            Silver was surprised by an employee who sought to aid him. The boy couldn’t have been any more than a year older than him.

            “No, thanks,” Silver said, still shocked. “I’m good.” No one had ever called him “sir” without contempt or sarcasm before. Silver wasn’t sure why he’d been so polite to the stranger. If his father had been there, _he’d_ have blamed Silver’s mother. Apparently, she had been a very caring person. Silver had never met her. He thought he found her once, when he was little, when he’d snuck out like he was now. But, he’d never made contact, never even made _eye_ contact.

            _Maybe that’s what I should do…_ Silver thought, looking around. _Maybe…I found her file. I know where she lives. Maybe…I’m already out. It’s not too far…they wouldn’t miss me. Maybe she could help me with…_

            Then, he turned his gaze, and his dark blue eyes locked into the gaze of a pair of russet ones. It was her!

            She was older, and looked far more…tired…but it was her. His mother. It had to be. She seemed to notice him. The puzzled expression on her face told him that she knew he was familiar, but that she hadn’t identified him, yet. According to her file-and his-on the Rocket database, she’d given him up at birth. He should’ve hated her for doing that, but…he just…couldn’t. She seemed so kind, so…he just couldn’t.

            Then, he saw a flash of recognition in her eyes, and-suddenly scared-he turned, starting to run. He didn’t go more than three steps, when he ran into a Totodile, tripping over it, and causing it to drop what it had been carrying.

            “Totodile!” A young boy, just old enough to have started his journey, scolded his Pokémon. The boy’s glasses glared in the store’s lights. At least, they did from Silver’s position on the floor. “Watch where you’re going!”

            “ _I sorry_ ,” the Totodile gurgled.

            “’S ‘kay,” Silver muttered, getting up off of the ground, dusting off his jeans. He was still somewhat stunned from fear that his mother would…approach him. He decided that being helpful-even if he wasn’t sure if he meant it-would be the best decision right now-for self-preservation, he told himself. He helped the Totodile pick up the boxes it had dropped, and then watched the little kid and Totodile walk away.

            “Now, let’s go get the next thing on the list that…” the boy said cheerfully as they disappeared into the next aisle.

            Silver didn’t know he was smiling until he could no longer hear them. Seeing such a bond between human and Pokémon…it was the only way to relive those warm memories…without the pain.

            Silver walked home, deciding that he could hate the world again after dinner.

...  
...  
  


Gary Oak loved helping his grandfather around the lab. Plus, since the professor was getting on in years, Gary liked to take over for a day or two at a time, so the professor could rest. Gary got plenty of practice, too. He was reading a file on a study on raising Rattata from the egg versus catching them and training them that way, when Delia Ketchum burst in, almost in tears.

            “Mrs. Ketchum?” Gary asked, shocked.

            “Oh, I’m sorry, Gary,” she wiped her eyes. “Thought you were Samuel.”

            “Grandfather’s resting. He’s been really tired lately.”

            “Oh, well, tell him I came, okay?”

            “Mrs. Ketchum,” Gary stopped her. “What’s wrong? I’ve never seen you so close to crying like that before.”

            “I wasn’t…” She stammered. “I’m fine. It’s none of your business.”

            “Is it about Ash?” Gary decided to press the matter, just a little, at least.

            “…No…”

            “What is it? Maybe I can help.”

            Delia Ketchum thought about it for a few minutes. A soft memory played in the back of her mind. _Maybe…_

            “Can you look up a trainer for me?”

            “Sure,” Gary grinned, bringing up the trainer database on the lab computer. “Just give me a name.”

...  
...  
  


It seemed so long ago now…

            The male Lucario mused on his past. He looked at the large, empty chair in front of him. He served the Boss all of his life. He was a very loyal Pokémon. But, he wasn’t sure if he did it out of love, or simply duty.

            _Probably the latter_ , he decided. The office was empty; the Boss had gone out for something…most likely something about his disobedient son. A Persian slept nearby the chair. The Boss did have a liking for _some_ Pokémon; he loved that cat to death, and at least deeply respected the Lucario. The Lucario doubted it was love though; he, himself, only loved his mate and their daughter nowadays-Arceus rest their souls-and the Boss had only ever _loved_ …well, the Lucario had only ever truly _knew_ her for a few years. And, he didn’t trust her right away. He wasn’t sure anymore when he had realized that he had trusted her with his friend’s life…entirely. He couldn’t remember now. It was…so long ago.

            “Pull yourself together, Dag,” he muttered. Dagger was his name, nice and deadly sounding, a good and threatening name for the Boss’s secret, hidden, and most loyal bodyguard. Occasionally, Giovanni would slip, and call him Dag. He was fond of the nickname, really. Dag. It made him think that there could be a friendship there… that he served the master criminal for a reason other than duty. In fact, the only reason he _had_ a name, instead of being known as a number, was the Boss had secretly called him Dagger when they were growing up.

            “You alright, Dagger?”

            Dag looked up to see that the Persian had woken up. The fact that he could talk was a secret between just the two of them-the Boss had no idea.

            “Fine.”

            “You miss your daughter, don’t you?”

            “And Sapphire, too,” Dag recalled the name of his mate, whom he hadn’t seen in sixteen years. He couldn’t be sure if she lived or not…and he daren’t seek out her trainer to find out. Giovanni would be most…displeased.

            “I think that…your daughter is alive.”

            “You heard… _him_. She was…no. She died.”

            “The problem with humans, Dagger, is that they fudge the truth too often. They could have….”

            Before Persian could continue, the door swung open, and the Boss walked in, and with an angry sigh, sank into his chair behind his desk.

            “Sir?” Dag asked, almost sounding concerned.

            The phone rang before Giovanni could speak, and he picked it up.

            “Speak.” The Boss’s voice was stern and strict as ever. Dag searched his face; looking for any trace that might be left of the teenager he’d once known. _That_ … younger version of the Boss had been unruly, sure, but just as kind, and loving, and…maybe Dag did love him, after all…the old him… the teenager that had known _how_ to love.

            “Yes. No. Absolutely not! Get back out there! Failure is not an option!” Giovanni slammed the phone down, steaming.

            “Sir?” Dag asked again. “He’s just a kid. You were once, too.”

            “Silver is not me.”

            “Not the you that you’re now, no. But, remember when you were his age. You were similar, right? I remember.”

            “I was different. I was willing to accept my duty.”

            “Accept, yes. But, you didn’t have it forced upon you, you didn’t have the weight of the Team’s future thrown on your shoulders, forced to agree to things you so hated.”

            “He’s complained to you about _her_ , hasn’t he?”

            “With all due respect, it’s your own fault, sir. If you have given him a position, at least, he might not _hate_ her so much. Even if he breaks, and they marry…”

            “As soon as he’s eighteen,” Giovanni added.

            “Yes…even if…you know that…it will be pointless, right?”

            “Elaborate.”

            Dag hid his shock. He often forgot that Giovanni allowed him to be more…frank than the other Rockets. Maybe it was because of their history together.

            “He could never grow close enough to…produce an heir. He would always hate her. He would never…desire…her company. They only time they would ever even kiss would be at the wedding, if at all. He would always sleep in a different bed-a different room!”

            “You overheard one of his rants, I presume?”

            “He truly hates her, sir.”

            Giovanni said nothing.

            “He blames her for… _her_ death, sir. And you know how much she meant to him.”

            Silence.

            “As much as you loved…”

            “Dagger.”

            Dag sighed.

            “He _is_ your son. He simply can’t let go of his hate.”

            “Fine. Watch him, then, Dag. If he expresses interest in another girl before he turns eighteen, I’ll break his current engagement. Until then, it’s 009.”

            “Yes, sir. But, what makes you think he could ever love again?”

            “He has his mother’s blood, too.”

            Dag knew from the tone that it was the end of the conversation on the subject.

            “What of the specimen from Project Megavolt? Have we recovered it yet? I heard that our old… _friend_ to the south might have found it.”

            “I gave up on recovering it. Someone else beat us to it, years ago, and has proven himself worthy. The project is safe with him.”

            “Have you met him? Do you know him?”

            “Not really, but I know he can be trusted.”

            “How?” Dag was confused. “What’s his name?”

            “Ashura Ketchum.”

...  
...  
  


“One hit,” Gary muttered. “His team includes a Chikorita, a Salamence, a…”

            “I don’t care,” Mrs. Ketchum muttered. “Let me see his age, his photo…”

            “Old enough to be Ash’s father,” Gary muttered. “Is he, uh…?”

            “No. It’s not who I was looking for. Are you sure he’s the only one…?”

            “He’s the only trainer filed under that first name.”

            “Try the files of past trainers.”

            Ding!

            “Any of these?” Gary asked.

            “No…all too old.”

            “Are you…looking for someone… _my_ age?”

            “Roughly.”

            “Why?”

            Delia looked at him, and Gary decided not to push it.

            “All right, break into the Rocket database.”

            “…Team Rocket?” Gary asked, shocked.

            “Can you hack into it?”

            “Sure,” Gary typed on the computer, bringing up a page asking for a password. “I can get into it, all right. It’s gonna take a few days to find the password though.”

            “Try ‘Giovanni.’”

            “Uh, okay…” Gary was starting to get suspicious.

            Entry Denied!

            “Try ‘Mew.’”

            Entry Denied!

            “Maybe something a little less obvious?” Gary laughed quietly.

            “Like _yours_?” Delia chuckled. “Sure, let’s try it.”

            Tentatively, Gary tried the password into his e-mail.

            Entry Denied!

            Gary sighed with relief.

            “Maybe it’s something that only the head Rocket would know. Something he’d keep secret from the others, or something the world _doesn’t_ know about Rocket’s goal, or something…”

            Delia’s face lit up. She nudged Gary, who gave her control of the keyboard. He noted each key as she typed it before hitting Enter.

            Access Granted!

            “Whoa.” Gary muttered. He made sure he had the password memorized; it could come in handy later. “Okay, let’s try it!” He typed in a search for the name, and hit Enter.

            The picture on the only file that came up made Gary gasp in fear.

            The eyes! The rest of the kid seemed only vaguely familiar, but the eyes! He _knew_ those eyes!

            “Mrs. Ketchum…”

            “It’s him.”

            “Is he…?”

            “What?”

            “Impossible! No!” Gary read the file. “He can’t be…!”

            “Be what?”

            “No.”

            “…Yes.”

            “No." He glared at her. "You can’t have lied to us.”

            “I’m sorry. It was…for the best. But…someone needs to know.”

            “Grandfather?”

            “He does, too.”

            “Holy shit,” Gary cursed under his breath. She didn’t scold him. Hell, she couldn’t blame him.

            “Don’t tell Ash.”

            “No…I won’t. You will.”

            “What?”

            “This is _important_! That…kid…has the eyes of a killer! If he finds out…”

            “I think he has.”

            “Damn!” Gary gritted his teeth.

            “Please, keep this secret from the others, particularly Ash.”

            “Why?”

            “Finish reading.”

            “Holy Lord,” Gary did _not_ think that this could get _any_ more screwed up. “I’m not sure I _want_ to know what the hell happened here.”

            “So, you believe this?”

            “I know the password, too.”

            Silence was proof enough…for both of them.


	5. Irritation

Aura lay on the soft bed of grass under the warm, spring sun, sleeping gently in peace. Winter’s cold grasp had finally let go of her home, and she could feel life returning to the earth. This was the time of the year that Aura loved best, when she was happy. She turned in her sleep, almost appearing human.

            Her ears twitched as she heard a rustling in the nearby forest. Keeping her eyes closed, Aura woke up, smiling slightly.

            “Oh, Arceus!” A voice, masculine, muttered, as the underbrush crackled, giving the stranger away. “Great! Smooth going!”

            Aura sat up, looked around, and blinked in the sunlight.

            “Whoever you are,” she said in a loud, firm voice, “you need to show yourself, or I’ll attack without mercy. This is your only warning!”

            “Truce!” The Pokémon mumbled through whatever it had in its mouth, as it leapt into the clearing. He set down the herbs, and looked at Aura.

            He was an Umbreon-Aura had met one briefly years before-but very different. This one had blue markings, instead of yellow, and his eyes shone with a kind of life that she didn’t see in…her past. Perhaps he was what was known as a “shiny,” Aura decided.

            Either way, she’d never met him before.

            “Who the hell are ya?” Aura spat at his friendly smile.

            “Heh, I suppose you really _are_ as feral as Azar told Nila you were,” he chuckled.

            “You know Azar?” Aura was taken aback.

            “He’s an old friend, yes,” the Umbreon smiled.

            “Again, who are _you_?”

            “You can call me Nyx. I aid Nila, the Night Sage.”

            Aura stayed silent.

            “You’re Aura, right?” Nyx asked, grinning with his eyes closed.

            Still, Aura said nothing.

            “What?” Nyx sounded concerned. “Do I offend?”

            “I don’t like talking to Pokémon I don’t know,” Aura growled.

            “Down, girl!” Azar barked, leaping into the clearing. “Don’t hurt Nyx. His father would be most upset.”

            “Father?” Aura asked.

            “Nyx’s father is an Elder Sage; he was the Night Sage before Nila took over a few years ago.”

            “I see,” Aura muttered, and suddenly ran off.

            “She’s very…isn’t she?” Nyx couldn’t find the words.

            “She’s not very fond of other living things,” Azar muttered. “She apparently suffered a great traumatic experience before she can to live in the area where our territories overlap.”

            “Do you know…?”

            “No, and she refuses outright to talk about it.”

            “Do you think she once had a trainer?”

            “And was abandoned?” Azar finished Nyx’s suggestion. “I’m not sure. But, she certainly feels betrayed by _somebody_.”

            “Why did you tell her that Nila took over for my father?” Nyx muttered. “It’s bad enough that it’s regularly gossiped amongst the Sages about that, but…”

            “I don’t gossip. I think that Nila was perfect for the job, despite her age, or, perhaps, because of it.”

            “Yes, but,” Nyx started.

            He never finished that sentence.

            “DAMN!” Aura came bursting into the clearing, running past just as quickly, carrying a large egg-shaped object. “DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!” She repeated loudly.

            Shortly after, a horde of Beedrill buzzed past, giving chase, but ignored Nyx and Azar.

            “She needs a human, a trainer,” Nyx sighed.

            “She _needs_ a _friend_ ,” Azar corrected. “I’m obviously not the best choice.”

            “I could do that.”

            “She _will_ need a friend, where her destiny will take her.”

            “And, _what is_ her destiny?”

            “That is not for me to tell. But, it will take her down a dark path, and she will need someone to hold the candle, to light the way.”

            Nyx started to glow like only an Umbreon could.

            “I can do that.”

            “What about N…what about your mother?”

            Nyx stiffened.

            “She’ll be fine. I’ll just help her until she can stand on her own, then I’ll return to…my mother. I promise. Could you tell her the next time you see her?”

            “I’ll do that.” Azar smiled.

            “Hey, Aura!” Nyx barked, running after her.

            “Arceus go with you both.”

            Azar vanished into the woods.

...  
...  
 

Misty wasn’t sure, but she could swear that there was a strange scent in the air. It was sweet and intoxicating, but sickly so. Yet, she was strangely attracted to it.

            “Mist?” Ash asked, breaking the spell momentarily. “Whadaya doin’?”

            “Do you smell that?”

            “Smell what?”

            “Pika?”

            “It smells like…berries, or something,” she said, half to herself, and she subconsciously walked towards the scent.

            The forest around her vanished. Misty, hallucinating, could’ve sworn that she was surrounded by mist.

            “Ash?” Misty asked, half-concerned. “Where are you?”

            A figure started to appear before her.

            “Ash?”

            The figure materialized to reveal that it was neither Ash nor even human. It was a Pokémon, an Absol.

            “Who are you?” Misty asked, suddenly alert.

            “Forgive me,” the Absol said quietly.

            Wind blew at Misty, its force too great to bear. She clenched her eyes shut, unable to keep them open, and the tears that formed from the wind whipping at her eyes were instantly shed. She collapsed, exhausted suddenly, and couldn’t stand back up.

            The smell was gone from the air, but still hung to her skin. It was a disease! She was sick, and she knew it.

            “MISTY!” Ash’s voice screamed in terror.

...  
...  
 

The Rattata ran with the stealth and silence that only an experienced thief had. He ran on his hind legs, like a human, and his tail was scruffy and very furry. He wore a multicolored, semi-checkered, jester’s mask that covered practically all of his face. His ears were pierced with multiple hoop earrings, and one of his front fangs was replaced with a gold one, and there were a few gold and silver replacements throughout the rest of his mouth. He wore a cape made in a similar fashion as his mask.

            Jerzy made his living in the cities nowadays, living a bandit’s life, taking whatever he needed to live from humans.   

            Jerzy was never caught. Not anymore. He was far too skilled. He could steal _anything_ , even the nose from between your eyes, and be long gone before you noticed that it was missing.

            He found what he was looking for: a large ruby, about twice his size. It was nestled safely on a deep blue satin pillow. Jerzy grinned. This was too easy. He leapt up to the ruby, and lifted it up effortlessly, carrying it on his back.

            He ran back down the hall of the mansion. He almost pitied the master of the house waking to see the ruby gone without a trace. Almost. He would, if it hadn’t belonged to _him_ in the first place.

            He stopped, watching the guard-Growlithe sleeping soundly.

            Jerzy almost chuckled. So much for security. Silently, Jerzy ran to the open window, and was gone.

            Life was good, with free food, drink, treasure, and he didn’t need to share it, with anyone!

...  
...  
 

Nyx ran up to an extremely irritated Aura, who sat cross-legged on a rock, pouting.

            “So, they took the hive back?”

            “Yes,” Aura snapped. “They did. But, I managed to steal some honey before they did.”

            “Why do you need the honey?”

            “I don’t know, but…I feel it will come in handy…soon.”

            “I suppose.”

            “What do you want?”

            “I…I’ve heard of you for a while now, and I guess curiosity finally won over.”

            “So, you wanted to gawk at the feral freak?” Aura sounded defensive.

            “No, I wanted to meet you, to be your friend.”

            Aura remained silent, unsure of how to respond to that.

            Then, Azar dashed up to them.

            “Nyx! Aura! I need your help! There are two humans down at the foot of the mountain! And, one of them is deathly ill!”


	6. Aid

            Ash struggled, carrying Misty as he wandered, looking for help. He found himself at the base of a mountain, and hope faded from his heart.

            “Ash…” Misty breathed quietly, betraying her thoughts as she slept restlessly in his arms. “Ash…Ash…Ash….”

            “Mist?” Ash gasped.

            Before he could do anything, a Ninetales came into view.

            “Chosen One?” It spoke!

            “You!” Ash suddenly knew who it was. “You’re the one who’s been stalking me every time I’ve come home.”

            “Stalking is an ugly word.”

            “What do you want?”

            “She’s sick!”

            “I know!”

            Azar dashed away.

            “What the hell?” Ash muttered under his breath.

            “Pika?”

            The Ninetales returned with an Umbreon, with blue markings instead of yellow.

            _A shiny Umbreon_ , Ash realized.

            “Come, Aura,” The Ninetales beckoned behind him. “Meet the Chosen…”

            “RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH!” A blurred figure leapt out of the forest, hurling itself at the two humans. Ash raised his hand just in time to grab the shaft of a very large, slightly crude, and very deadly looking spear. The attacker on the other end of it was not a human.

            It was a Pokémon. A Lucario.

            A female, too. She wore a crude cloak, made out of what appeared to be an old, faded green sheet. It was ripped in several places and stained with something reddish. Blood? The Lucario herself looked thin and almost undernourished, yet her arms-and legs-had clear muscle from living a tough life. Her fur was ragged and scruffy, with a small stain of red around her paw spikes, but otherwise clean, and it smelled of Beedrill honey. Her fangs were bared in a deep snarl, between gasping breaths. Her eyes were what freaked him out most, though. Her eyes-the usual Lucario’s red-were even more bloodshot, and filled with rage…the look of a cold-blooded murderer.

            “The hell?” Ash breathed.

            “You wanna _find out_ what Hell’s like, filthy human?” The Lucario snarled.

            There was another blur, a growl and a yelp, and the Ninetales tackled her, sending her flying. The Ninetales grabbed the spear that she dropped in her shock, and handed it to Ash, who took it, still in shock.

            “AURA!” The Ninetales barked. “Show some respect! This is the Chosen One! You gave Hikari your word!”

            “ _He’s_ …?” The Lucario–Aura–rubbed her head, her eyes wide in disbelief. “He’s the…Chosen One?”

            “Yes. He has both the Mark of Ho-oh _and_ Lugia.”

            “Hmm…” The Umbreon hummed, keeping back from the other two wild Pokémon.

            _Good idea,_ Ash thought.

            “Azar!” Aura gasped. “You…must be mistaken! He’s a _boy_! I thought the Chosen One would be a _man_ , a hardened hero…”

            “We said nothing about _who_ or _what_ the Chosen One would be.”

            “I’ll…I’ll let him live,” Aura muttered reluctantly. “Only if he promises to get him and his girlfriend outta my territory and never return!”

            “She’s…” Ash started protesting weakly.

            _Misty!_ She was still sick, of course, lying gently on the soft grass.

            “You gave your word.”

            “No, Azar. He’s nothing.” Aura turned her back.

            “You have to help my friend…she’s really sick,” Ash knelt next to Misty. The Umbreon-Nyx-walked towards her and inhaled.

            “I know what this is, Azar. I can get the herbs. But, I’ll need some help. And, she’ll need some decent shelter for the night…at least one night.”

            “Please?” Ash said to both Azar and Aura.

            “No,” Aura said flatly.

            “You _gave_ Hikari _your word_!” Azar repeated. “You are _bound_ to the Council _and_ the _Chosen One_!” 

            “Rrrrrgh!” Aura half-growled, half-scoffed. “Fine! They can crash at my den! One night!”

            “May I…?” Nyx started. After only a glare from Aura, he continued. “The girl…what’s her name?”

            “Misty,” Ash muttered, still in shock about what was happening.

            “Misty might need more than just one night to recover. She might be better by morning, and it may take over a week.”

            “A _week_!” Ash and Aura yelped.

            “No _human_ is living anywhere _near_ me for a _week_!” Aura snarled.

            “I’m so cold,” Misty whispered weakly, startling the others.

            Especially Aura. 

            “Puh,” Aura turned her back.

            _Ignore it,_ Aura thought to herself. _They’re all the same. Worthless wastes of space, useless brain cells, weak and untrustworthy. Damn them all to Hell!_

            “So… cold,” Misty continued. Her eyes were closed, and Ash couldn’t tell if she was sleeping or not. Either way, she was definitely out of it. He took off his jacket and covered her with it.

            “There, is that better?”

            “Don’t leave me.” Her hand weakly grabbed his arm.

            “I won’t. I promise.”

            Aura was now visibly shaking. Those were _his_ words. _His_ and _hers_! They didn’t deserve them! No _human_ …

            Aura stopped. That wasn’t fair of her, was it? Her anger was uncalled for, right? Maybe…there were…. No. Humans couldn’t be trusted. She knew that from experience. Humans saw Pokémon as tools, as weapons…as food and fur…and nothing more. Not the equals they truly were.

            _Maybe_ we _are the superior ones_ , Aura thought darkly.

            “Please…” Ash repeated to Aura.

            Azar noticed just a single tear forming in Aura’s eye, and that it fell softly to the grass below, before she turned back towards the humans and Nyx.

            “Wait here.”

            She ran off towards her shed. She dashed in, and took a look around. She tossed all her junk into a wooden box against one wall, and put her weapons and materials for such into the one next to it. She ran outside again, to the back side of the shed, where an old mattress Azar had brought for her was leaning against the side of the shed.She drug the mattress into the shed, and put it against the wall where she normally slept. She took out the rug made from the pelts of her former prey, which she slept on in the winter, and placed it on the mattress, to make it a little more comfortable.

            She ran back towards the others.

            “Follow me,” she said in a low voice, before leading them to her hidden home. “Set…Misty…on the bed. Put the spear with the others in that box.” Ash did as he was told, remembering her ferocity, and never forgetting for a second that it was only her word to Hikari-whoever the hell _that_ was-that kept her from killing him, which was something she seemed determined to do. He wished he knew why, though.

            Nyx came in with the herbs he’d brought earlier.

            “I knew that these would come in handy. Ash, could you help me?”

            “How?” Ash had now gotten used to the shiny Umbreon talking in English-mostly.

            “Grind these herbs into a fine powder. I’m sure Aura has the necessary tools,” he added, turning towards her.

            Issuing another growl-scoff, Aura dug around in her box of junk, producing a small wooden bowl she used for food, and a large polished rock that she had indeed used for such a purpose as grinding herbs for medicine. Ash gratefully accepted them, and began to do as Nyx told him.

            “However,” Nyx added, “the powder will be quite difficult for Misty to take, even if we can fully awaken her, and get her to sit upright. Worse, they’re a trifle…bitter.”

            Aura’s face lit up.

            “Honey,” she whispered.

            “Hehehe,” Nyx chuckled. “I said I wanted to be your friend, but if you insist.”

            “No, _dolt_!” Aura exasperated. “The Beedrill honey I…obtained earlier today!”

            “Yes! Perfect!” Nyx grinned.

            “Misty’s gonna be okay?” Ash asked, hopeful.

            “Yes. Most definitely,” Nyx muttered.

            Azar was silent the entire time, thinking. Then, he motioned for Aura to come to him.

            “That medicine works better if one eats shortly after taking it,” he muttered to her so only they could hear. “Perhaps if you hunted, and brought back some dinner…just for you and the others. Nyx and I can take care of ourselves.”

            Aura remained silent. After a moment, she nodded and set out.

            “What’s with her?” Ash asked when she had gone.

            “Aura has a very cold heart,” Azar muttered. “But, this is not her fault, I believe. She came here three years ago, half-wounded, and in a crazed state. It took me days-almost weeks-to gain her trust. And then, she was still cold towards me. But, in rare moments, I see all the proof I need that she… _has_ a heart. I know that she sees me as an uncle-maybe even a surrogate father-and loves me as such. But, she is scared to let those kinds of emotions show. I believe she was betrayed. Maybe a human trainer abandoned her. Maybe she ran from an abusive mate. I’m not sure. She won’t say. But I do know that as long as you treat her with kindness, and don’t overdo it, and allow her to keep her pride, she should come to accept you, too.”

            “She wasn’t a Riolu when you met her?” Ash asked.

            “No, she was evolved. That does imply that she was happy once, in her old life. But, sometimes, such happiness-induced evolutions can still occur without friends or love, if the Pokémon in question is determined enough.”

            “Which,” Nyx piped in, “leads to my theory that she was simply an orphaned Riolu that grew up somewhere to the south, but was attacked by a hunter, or perhaps a poacher, and was forced to leave her home.”

            “How long have you known her?” Ash asked Nyx.

            “I knew _of_ her a little less than three years ago, when Azar told my mother of her. I only _met_ her earlier today.”

            “Yes,” Azar muttered. “I suppose we weren’t properly introduced. I am Azar, the Fire Sage, Protector of the Fire Orb. This is Nyx, apprentice and aid to Nila, the Dark Sage, who protects the Orb of Night.”

            “I’m Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Trainer. My friend Pikachu has been with me since my journey’s start. My best friend,” Ash looked towards Misty’s sleeping-he thought she was still asleep, anyway-form on the bed, “is Misty Waterflower, Leader of the Cerulean Gym. I met her mere hours after Pikachu.”

            “How?” Nyx tilted his head in curiosity, smiling softly.

            “I fished him out of a river,” Misty moaned, slowly sitting up, as she woke. “After which he stole my bike to get his injured Pikachu to a Pokémon Center in time. I found my bike a while later, barbecued by a Thundershock attack. I followed Ash, at first, only because I wanted my bike replaced or paid for. After a few weeks, however, we became friends, and I continued to travel with him for that new reason.”

            “The entire time you _still_ teased me about that bike,” Ash muttered. “And now you have it back, and I hardly ever see you with it.”

            “I outgrew it,” Misty muttered. She still looked very sick, but was at least able to concentrate on a conversation. They discussed bits and pieces of things, as Misty took the powdered medicinal herbs, mixed with honey. Shortly after, Aura returned, with a well-roasted Raticate she had been fortunate to catch. Using her crude daggers as knives, and plates made of wood and stone, Aura, Ash and Misty ate their meal in peace. Pikachu ate the normal Pokémon food that Ash gave him, and the rest of his team-and Misty’s-did the same, outside, where Nyx and Azar also ate, supposedly. After a while, Aura picked up the tail of the Raticate.

            “The tail is-as I know from experience-the best part. And, I think that the one who deserves it most is…the patient.” Aura handed the roasted tail to Misty just as Azar walked in.

            “I…couldn’t…possibly…” Misty stammered.

            “I insist,” Aura was unaware Azar was standing behind her, until she turned around. She appeared momentarily surprised, but then left the shed she called home without another word.

            “She has taken a shine to you, Waterflower,” Azar said softly. “I have never been offered her favorite part of her prey. Not even a morsel. She has only ever offered me scraps, and then in a rather unorthodox fashion.”

            “Unorthodox?”

            “It means ‘unusual,’ Ash,” Misty supplied.

            “I know,” Ash said calmly. “I meant, _how_ was it unorthodox?”

            “She usually just leaves in the middle of eating when I’m around, abandoning the leftovers. I’ve come to learn that…heartfelt actions and words are difficult for her frozen spirit to allow.”

            Misty broke the tail in half.

            “Would you like some?” Misty offered half to Azar.

            “No thank you, young Waterflower. Perhaps Master Ketchum?”

            “Ash,” the young teen corrected. “Call me Ash.”

            “Very well. Since your friend is healing properly, the two of you may rest here for the night, and then I heavily suggest returning to…no….” He had the Chosen One here! Now! He should tell him of the prophecy, of his destiny!

            “Are you sure?” Ash asked Azar, as he slowly took half the tail Misty offered him.

            “Yes, young Ash. I only ever eat cooked meat on special ceremonies, and when I dine in Hikari’s Keep.”

            “Who _is_ Hikari?” Ash asked. “ _What_ is Hikari?”

            “Hikari is the Head Sage, the Light Sage, which leads me to where I was about to go. You are the Chosen One.”

            “That was years ago.”

            “Once the Chosen One, always the Chosen. Ho-oh marked you…then Lugia. I’m sure you’ve come across other Legends, and they too have most likely approved of the Chosen.”

            “What does it matter now?”

            “It is time for the true prophecy of the Chosen One to come to pass. You truly believe that the Prophecy of the Beast of the Sea is the only one of the Chosen? The Prophecy of the Chosen is one of a much greater quest.”

            “What kind of quest?”

            “The world. The Sages of the Elements are scattered around the world. They each protect a Shrine of their Element. In each Shrine rests an Elemental Orb, in which the power of each Element is kept. If disaster falls upon an Orb, then legend has it that the power of that Element will be lost to any and every non-Legend in the world. But, in the hands of the Chosen One-as well as any true Light Sage in heart-they will lend their powers to their destined wielder. And, according to the Prophecy, the Chosen One will acquire them all, and bring them together at the Great Shrine near Hikari’s Keep, and will bring about the Time of Peace and Rebirth.”

            “What makes you think that I _want_ to…?” Ash started.

            “I know how much you enjoy traveling and adventures. I know how much this idea intrigues you. And, I know that deep down, you want to. One last adventure…you are rapidly growing up. Your world is changing. You want to know what will remain the same, and what won’t. It’s natural human nature. Don’t be afraid.”

            “Ashura Ketchum is scared of _nothing_!” Ash barked defensively.

            “An action says more than mere words and monologue,” Azar said with the wisdom of a Sage. “The first Shrine is to the southeast, just north of what humans call the Safari Zone. Go and pass the Test that Saki has for you. Rise up, Chosen One; your destiny is calling!” Without another word, Azar left.

            “Eccentric, isn’t he?” Ash muttered.

            “Maybe we should…” Misty started.

            “What?” Ash was caught off guard.

            “I would love to go traveling again…for a full year at least. Daisy can watch the Gym. Violet and Lily will help as much as possible.”

            “And, I’m sure Tracey would be eager to help, too,” Ash grinned.

            “So? You want to go on this quest that Azar talked about? Even if the Prophecy is just old legend, it’ll be a good excuse to travel the world.”

            Ash didn’t realize it yet, but the seeds of a plan had just been planted in his mind.

            “Yeah! Let’s do it! We’ll leave in the morning, and head to Pewter City. We’ll tell Brock, and call home from there, too.”

            “Sounds good,” Misty smiled, yawning.

            “Get some sleep, Mist,” Ash said softly. He headed outside.

            “Azar!” He called, and the Ninetales came up to him.

            “Chosen One?”

            “I’m game!”

            “I beg your pardon?” Azar didn’t understand his slang.

            “I thought about it. And, I accept your challenge!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious as to why I chose Ashura and not Ashton, go to Wikipedia and look up the deity Ashur, among several other inspirations and illusions being made by it. I also just don't like the name Ashton.


	7. Fang

The young man wasn’t sure where he was. He knew one of these mountains had to be Mt. Silver, right? Right? Surely, the location his mother had told him about was somewhere nearby.

            “Nid!” His Nidoking pointed to something in the distance.

            “What is it?” His Lucario muttered.

            “King!” Nidoking growled.

            “It’s…some sort of castle,” The teen muttered. “Maybe they’ll help.”

            “It’s worth a try, Sire.”

            “Don’t call me that.”

            “Sorry, sir.”

            “Or that.”

            “Master…?”

            “No.”

            “What then?”

            “How about my _name_?”

            “I thought you hated your name,” the Lucario was confused.

            “I hate the name that my mother insisted I use,” the teenage trainer clarified. “The name my father gave me, my _real_ name, is just fine with me. Even my _middle_ name is okay, I guess.”

            “First name, then?”

            “Sure, buddy, why not?”

            Nidoking watched as the two had their little…spat. They hadn’t always been friends. In fact, the Lucario had been _assigned_ to him. A bodyguard. The teen’s mother wanted him protected. She also wanted someone to watch him, but the Lucario took an instant shine to the young trainer, and refused to rat him out, even lying to his mother about what they did…sometimes. He normally didn’t have to, anymore. She rarely tried to get dirt about her son, at least not from the Lucario.

            The teen had been scrawny for so long, but was finally gaining some muscle, and was now able to hold his own in any fight. Punks would often try to attack him, and eventually he became tough enough to fight back. His hair was jet-black, short, and yet scruffy. He had often thought of changing the color to a brown or something, though. His dark blue eyes were often mistaken for black, and he had practice with giving the appearance that he would kill at any moment. Yet, part of him wanted a…better life…a peaceful one. Maybe even a….

            “Gyles?”

            “Yes?”

            “Do you hear that?” The Lucario muttered.

            “Hmm,” Gyles listened. Someone was coming. “Seviper! Take care of it!” Gyles tossed a Pokéball out before him

            “Vi!” Seviper hissed as it came out of the ball.

            “Zan!” A Zangoose came out of nowhere, attacking the Seviper.

            “Char!” A Charmeleon followed suit, but targeted the Lucario, instead.   

            “The hell?” Gyles barked.

            “Scar! Cindy!” A female voice yelled out. “Stop!”

            The Zangoose and Charmeleon froze. The Zangoose twitched at the sight-or smell-of Seviper, but he and the female Charmeleon did as they were told.

            “Who the hell are you?” Gyles yelled, looking in the forest around him. “Show yourself!”

            He heard a strange sound…an engine revving? What in the world…?

            He then noticed that the Zangoose wore spiked bracelets, and his face stripe had been dyed a bright green, and that the Charmeleon wore a black leather jacket with metal spikes on the shoulders, and gold bracelets on her wrists and three on her tail.

            _These Pokémon must belong to a Biker of some sort_ , Gyles decided. _But…a_ female _Biker…? Wait…I_ do _know of one_ ….

            “Well, well, well,” the Charmeleon chuckled. “Look who it is, Scar! It’s ikkle Jill!”

            “Cindy?” The Lucario breathed.

            “My name is _GYLES_!” The maturing teenager bellowed. “Wait…Cindy…Scar…that must mean….”

            “ _The Deserters_ …” Nidoking finished.

            “That really is an unfair name, isn’t it, Cin?” Scar crossed his arms. “I mean, we didn’t _desert_. We were chased out, exiled, and for no reason….”

            “Yes,” Cindy muttered, closing her eyes. “I remember a certain Elite deciding that our ‘devil-may-care’ attitude was…less than beneficial towards Madam Boss’s son.”

            “Hey, Deadly D!” Scar yelled.

            The engine sound’s volume increased, as a motorcycle came into view, coming to a halt between Gyles and the Pokémon that had attacked him minutes before.

            The Biker removed her helmet, revealing long, flowing brunette hair. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of second-hand shades. Her black leather jacket looked barely attached to her body, compared to the faded, hot pink, form-fitting T-shirt that it was worn over. Her black denim jeans were well worn, with small holes on the knees, and worn-down hemming, and had actually faded to a dark-gray in some spots. Her steel-tipped boots added to the dangerous look as a useful weapon, as did the handgun that was barely visible from its somewhat-hidden holster in the interior of her jacket, on her left side, near her chest. She also wore leather gloves with shining metal spikes, one on each knuckle, and the fingers cut off. Both ears glistened with about a half a dozen gold hoop earrings each.

            A shiny Pachirisu sat on her left shoulder, her purple stripe of fur stuck up into a crude Mohawk and a gold hoop earring in her left ear. The Pachirisu looked at Gyles with her usual, constant half-glare, a glint of rebellious confidence in her eyes.

            “Yes, Scar?” The Biker appeared to be uninterested, both in the tone of her voice and in her body language as she turned off the bike, and tilted her head casually towards the Zangoose.

            “Lookie who we found, D!” Scar grinned maliciously. “It’s li’l Jillie!”

            “Gyles!” The frustrated trained muttered under his breath.

            “G!” The Biker smiled. Gyles had a sickening feeling that she was only excited to see him because his being basically alone meant that he was easy prey to her.

            Gyles supposed he would have been her partner-when she had _been_ in the Team-if two things had not happened. One was her extreme dislike of the Top Elite, Miyamoto, who had been her superior and often reported to Madam Boss about the Grunts… progress. Or…lack thereof. The second was that the boss would not have her second-best Elite working with a lowly Grunt, no matter how skilled, qualified, or worthy he-or she-was. Lately, especially since she has been…forced to desert, Gyles had occasionally wondered what it would have been like to be partners with her on missions.

            The Biker kicked down her bike’s kickstand and jumped off. She sat her helmet on the seat, and walked towards Gyles. The Lucario started to block her, standing between the Deserter and his charge.

            “Relax, buddy,” the Biker said calmly. “Remember? Last time you two were sneaking around Pallet Town? Secretly taking Oak’s class? The same one I was in?”

            “I think we can trust her, pal,” Gyles muttered. “Deadly D here isn’t half as heartless as Mom tells us. Remember when she, and her Lucario, saved us from…well, that one time?”

            Gyles’s bodyguard hesitated.

            “ _I_ helped, too,” Cindy mumbled under her breath.

            “Ditto,” Scar added.

            “Remember my Lucario?” Deadly D took a Pokéball off of her belt, and started rolling it around on her right hand. “My…beautiful…confident…feminine…single…Lucario?”

            “Uh…” The male Lucario stammered. Gyles remembered his friend being quite flustered by the Biker’s…little friend.

            “Bud?” Gyles asked his bodyguard. “I said we could trust her.”

            “I’m watching you.”

            “I expected no less,” the young woman chuckled. “I admire your loyalty.”

            “That’s ironic,” the Lucario scoffed.

            “I didn’t desert! Miyamoto chased me off,” she seemed deeply offended. “I’m twice as loyal as that bitch ever was. Let me prove it to you.”

            “I’m looking for…some castle ruins in this area. They’re rumored to be in a spot with a perfect view of the northern side of Mt. Silver.”

            “I was born on Mt. Silver,” the Biker grinned. “I know exactly where you mean. I have a friend who’s been letting me stay there off and on for the past few years. I can take you there. _If_ you promise to keep it secret.”

            “Sure,” Gyles nodded. “I had planned on it anyway. I don’t believe that the Boss’s visions for the Team are the most…profitable. If I _do_ become her successor, I’ll be sure to change our aim to something more…successful and long-lasting.”

            “If?”

            “There are some things I might leave the Team for.”

            “Like?”

            “If they ever involve you in any way, I’ll let you know,” he narrowed his eyes. Gyles liked to keep at least _some_ things under the floorboards.

            “Whadaya say?” Deadly D offered her hand. “Partners?”

            “Friends,” Gyles corrected, shaking it.

            “Hold it,” the Lucario interrupted. “I’m not letting him go with you _anywhere_ until you two are properly introduced. _Real_ names. _Not_ gang names, or Team ones.”

            “I haven’t been called it in so long,” the Biker smiled. “Might be nice. All right, then. I’m…Delia. Delia Hertz.”

            The teen smiled. She _was_ deadly…but also a bit pretty…and so was her name.

            “My name is Gyles. Gyles Ashura Ketchum.”

...  
...  
 

Professor Elm was frantic. Where was it? Where could it have gone?

            The Chikorita and Cyndaquil looked at each other, confused. Why was their master so worried? Their friend got separated a _lot_ , but always turned up eventually. All they had to do was wait just a few hours.

            Right?

            “What’s wrong, sir?” Elm’s aid asked, concerned.

            “Where is he?” Elm didn’t seem to hear him. “I just saw him two minutes ago! How could he have run off… _again_?”

            “Sir?”

            “I wanted to show them off to Oak,” Elm seemed depressed. “The results of my best breeder’s hard work. I was finally gonna outdo him.”

            “You mean we?” A young teen asked, his hands stuck in the large front pocket of his favorite hoodie, his black hair slightly stuck out from the hole in the baseball cap that he wore backwards on his head. His jeans were a little worn, but sill in excellent shape.

            “Aw, let him have his moment, Jimmy,” his girlfriend muttered. Her blue hair stuck out from under her simple white cap in two ponytails. Her clothes were as perfect as the day she bought them: her electric blue T-shirt was accented by a lightweight, white, cotton jacket, and shorts made of the same white material. Around her shoulders hung the strap of her bright yellow pack, and her PokéGear hung from a ribbon she wore around her neck.

            “I suppose, just as long as he lets us continue working for him. I like staying near home.”

            “Me, too. I’m just glad he helped us open that new Breeding Center in New Bark Town. Breeding is fun!” The girl smiled enthusiastically.

            Jimmy started chuckling uncontrollably.

            “Jimmy!”

            “Sorry, Marina,” Jimmy struggled to get his voice back under control. “It was just too…hehehe!”

            “You are such a…”

            “Can you two finish your little love spat later?” Elm burst out.

            “What spat?” Jimmy asked innocently.

            “What’s up?” Marina ignored her boyfriend’s question.

            “Totodile is gone again!”

            “He’ll show up,” Jimmy said nonchalantly. “He always does. How much trouble can something so small get into in Viridian City, anyway?”

            “That little guy’s gonna get me in so much trouble!” Elm ran off looking for him.

            After glancing at the Chikorita and Cyndaquil, Jimmy and Marina exchanged smiling glances, shrugging.

...  
...  
 

Silver was just about annoyed now. First, the little half-pint had followed him for five-and-a-half blocks like some little lost Poocheyna. Then, it danced around him, gurgling happily, as if he were its mother. Then, when he reached out-fully intending to just pick the little Pokémon up so he could return it to its trainer-well…he now had the Water Pokémon attached to his right arm.

            “Goddamn it,” Silver muttered. “This is just great…” He looked around. Whoever owned this…thing would surely be worried, maybe even frantic, and searching for it.

            “Outta my way!” Silver heard a voice yell out in fear. A youthful adult man - a Researcher by the look of him - was dashing through the crowd behind where he stood. He was looking left and right, high and low, a look of crazed fear on his face. He had definitely lost something.

            _Bingo!_

            Silver walked calmly up to the man. The man saw him approaching and stopped to talk.

            “Sir,” Silver started.

            “Hey, kid! Have you seen…?”

            “Does _this_ belong to you?” Silver raised his hand to show the Totodile that was trying to swallow it whole.

            Relief washed over Professor Elm’s face.

            “Thank you _so much_!” He said gratefully, taking the Pokémon off of Silver-literally.

            “Whatever,” Silver shrugged.

            “Professor!” Jimmy called after him. “Don’t scare the locals!”

            “Be polite!” Marina was right next to her boyfriend as they ran up to the Professor.

            “You found him!” Jimmy grinned. “I knew he’d show up!”

            “Actually,” Elm corrected. “This young man found him.”

            “He found me,” Silver said simply. “Little Pokémon shouldn’t wander around here,” Silver’s words weren’t half as ominous as they should have been. 

            “I suppose,” Jimmy said, half to himself. “That is, if you _do_ believe the rumors that Team Rocket’s base was (and maybe still _is_ ) here in Viridian City.”

            “I believe them,” Silver muttered. _Of course I do. I have proof. My very residence here is proof._

            “Thanks, then,” Jimmy said cheerfully. “The little guy is very important to us, and we’re very glad that he’s unharmed.”

            “I’m Professor Elm,” the Professor shocked Silver by grabbing his hand with both of his, shaking it repeatedly with much gusto. “I’m sure you heard of me.”

            “Oh, yeah!” Silver said, only acting excited. “You’re the leading expert of Pokémon evolution, right? Eggs are your specialty!” _Let go of my hand now, damn it!_

            “Why, yes, I am!” Elm let go, only to beam—a little too much.

            Seeing the other two’s expressions and reactions, Silver could tell that this guy’s ego was a little inflated, and instantly regretted adding a boost to it.

            “I’m Jimmy,” the teen made no attempt to shake Silver’s hand, perhaps realizing that he wasn’t fond of physical contact.

            “My name’s Marina!” The adolescent greeted with a smile.

            After a pause, Silver realized he should introduce himself.

            “Name’s Silver,” he said quietly.

            “Silver, eh?” Jimmy grinned. “I’ll be sure to remember that. Well, thanks for your help!”

            The trio started to walk away, but the Totodile started struggling and fussing.

            “What is it, Totodile?” Elm asked.

            “Totototototototo!” Totodile gurgled, waving its little arms, which were reaching out away from Elm…

            …And right towards Silver.

            All four humans could only blink at this strange and sudden show of affection.

            “The little guy’s actually taken a shine to you!” Jimmy exclaimed.

            “Would you look at that?” Marina agreed with her boyfriend. “No one’s gotten him to like them! That’s why he’s always running off. He isn’t exactly fond of anyone back in New Bark Town.”

            “He always came back, though,” Jimmy shrugged. “Free food’s hard to give up.”

            “I think he belongs with a trainer he’ll actually listen to,” Marina took out a Pokéball. “Return!” She recalled the Totodile. “Here,” she handed Silver the Pokéball.

            Shocked, Silver simply stared for a moment.

            “Wait!” He suddenly said. “I can’t…” He trailed off.

            “Yeah!” Elm piped in. “I need him for my presentation to Oak!”

            “Chill,” Jimmy said calmly. “We still have two very-well bred Pokémon to show Professor Oak. If we need another Totodile we can always call Vincent back home. Well, _you_ can. He won’t talk to me.”

            “Gee, I wonder why,” Marina’s voice dripped in sarcasm. “Maybe he’s jealous of something?”

            “Maybe…” Jimmy smiled slightly. “Or maybe he’s just a sore loser.”

            Jimmy turned to Silver.

            “But, in any case, that Totodile deserves a trainer he can enjoy living with, someone he can grow to love…and someone to love him. I can already see that he belongs with you. I know you’ll take good care of him.”

            “Love?” Silver echoed. But, the last creature he’d loved….

            Silver nodded, suddenly determined.

            “I will,” He grinned.

            The others stood there, wondering what else he’d say. Something about this kid stood out to Elm. He’d have to tell Oak about him.

            _Hey, now!_ A familiar voice echoed in Silver’s mind. _Don’t stand there like a Stantler in headlights! Be grateful!_

            “Thanks,” Silver said, just barely audible to the others.

            “Well, we better get back to Frank,” Jimmy looked over his shoulder. “Nice meeting you, Silver. Have fun training that Totodile! See ya ‘round!”

            With that, Jimmy and Marina walked away, the Professor in front of them. Holding the Pokéball, Silver simply watched as they vanished into the crowd. Not the Professor. Jimmy and Marina. They way they walked arm-in-arm, clearly in a relationship with each other, burned into his memory. He wasn’t sure why, yet, but Silver knew it wasn’t something he’d forget for a while.

            Silver walked to the Viridian Park, where some kids were training. He tossed the Pokéball into the air.

            “Totototototo!” The Totodile happily came out of the ball. Upon seeing Silver again, he ran up to him, and rubbed his head against the teen’s leg in obvious affection.

            “So,” Silver looked down at him. “You want me to be your trainer, huh?”

            Totodile’s smile was easy to interpret. He wasn’t sure about a _trainer_ , but a _friend_ would certainly be nice.

            “Alrighty, then, _Fang_ ,” Silver decided that the little guy deserved a good, fitting name. “But, we have to keep this a secret. My father might not like you.”

            Totodile-Fang tilted his head not entirely sure he understood. His new friend wanted him…secret? Okay, anything for his new friend, but…why? Father? Wouldn’t like? His mother’s Trainer hated the human female’s current…mate…but that didn’t mean _he_ had to be secret. After a moment, Fang decided that if his human loved him, that he wouldn’t need anyone else, and he nodded vigorously, jumping up and down.

            _Energetic_ , Silver thought. _This is not going to be easy_.

            “Back in the ball,” He recalled Fang. “I’ll let you out later.”

            Silver put the Pokéball on the back of his belt, hidden under his jacket. He ran home, an emotion like excitement coursing through him. It wasn’t true excitement; he still felt trapped in his life. But, Fang gave him hope. It had been so long since he had felt hope.

            When he decided to go to bed, he saw his Houndoom bodyguard standing by his bedroom door already. But, he wasn’t gonna let the annoyance get to him tonight.

            “Good night,” he said suddenly, catching the cold-hearted Pokémon off guard.

            “ _N-night, Sire_ ,” 44-6-2 stammered.

            Silver opened the door to his room.

            “Good night, Silver,” another voice whispered behind him, almost sweetly.

            _Domino_.

            Silver decided he was in a good enough mood to acknowledge her existence. He turned slightly, just enough to make eye contact - he had to refrain from vomiting - and he gave her a single, short, curt nod. He entered his room, locking the door shut behind him. His tossed his jacket onto his desk chair and threw himself onto his bed.

            “Ouch,” he muttered, forgetting the Pokéball that now protruded into his back.

            He removed his belt, and took Fang’s ball off it. With a jolt of red electricity, the Totodile came out of the ball.

            Silently, Fang snuggled up against the human that he already loved.

            Something in Fang’s eyes awoke some warm, distant memory in Silver’s heart, and he decided to allow the physical contact. Just this once. Before he fell asleep though, Silver realized just what had happened to him that day.

            _God has given me a second chance_ , Silver thought to himself. _And this time, I’ll be damned if I let myself screw it up!_

...  
...  
 

Aura was either unaware that the Chosen One's arrival was giving her a second chance, or she simply didn't care that she was already doing a very good job of screwing it up.

            She slept outside, but forced everyone else-except Misty-to do the same. Ash wasn't sure what it was, but something had caused Aura to begrudgingly accept Misty. Maybe Azar was right. Maybe Aura had taken a shine to her. Or maybe she felt pity towards her for having fallen so ill.

            Aura didn't care. Misty was better. They would be leaving. The humans would go back to where they came from, and Aura would be allowed to go back to her life in peace. All the Lucario wanted anymore was to be left alone. Aura went out hunting, to take her mind off of the...intruders.

            Aura's mountain was her territory, and she was very protective of it. It was her home and her kingdom, and few travelers, human or otherwise, ever came anywhere near it. The thick woods provided shelter from above, and shielded her eyes from the blinding pain of the sun. Aura hated the sun. Aura hated its warmth, and glow. It reminded her of....

            Aura sensed movement, and leapt at it.

            Nyx looked shocked as the Lucario pinned him to the ground, dropping the berries he had in his mouth.

            "What in the world?" The Shiny Umbreon gasped.

            "This is why I live alone," Aura said in a low growl. "Go back to camp. Next time, I _won't_ hold back."

            "No _wonder_ humans say this place is cursed," Nyx muttered to himself as he walked away.

            "I _am_ cursed," Aura told herself, as she continued hunting. She leapt on top of a boulder, and closed her eyes, calming her breath and heart. She listened.

            There was a soft rustling a few yards to the northeast, followed by the rapid patter of small paws on grass. Rattata. Not much of a meal, but Aura wasn't so hungry this morning. She remained relaxed, calm, and quiet. The Rattata, for all its survival abilities, didn't seem to notice her, as the soft chewing noise told her that it was eating some sort of grass. Aura took a single step towards it, and tilted her head, listening. It was completely unaware. Aura smiled, and crouched on all fours, readying herself. She pounced, landing on the rat Pokémon and killing it with a single bite. However, she hit the wrong spot as she did, and blood splattered out at her, getting her right in the face. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Aura simply picked up her prey and returned to camp; this kind of thing happened often.

            "Ugh," a voice moaning in disgust caught her off guard. Aura turned sharply to see the Chosen One- _whatever_ his name was-with a revolted look on his face, staring at the dead Rattata dangling from her mouth. _Fine, then_ , Aura thought. _I'll really gross you out_. She took the dead Pokémon out of her mouth, and then started to eat it raw.

            "Why do you do that?" He asked.

            "Survival, _whelp_ ," Aura muttered. "I do it to _survive_. No one's gonna _take care_ of me. _I_ must do it _myself_!" She barked, spraying him with blood.

            "Oh, jeez," Ash muttered to himself. He wiped his face, as Misty came out of the shelter.

            "Ash," Misty chuckled, coming out of the shelter, "we all know that you constantly cut yourself shaving, but _this_ is _ridiculous_!"

            "Shaddup," Ash grumbled. "This is all _her_ fault!" He pointed at Aura.

            "Yeah, it always is..." Aura growled, sulking away after a brief glare.

            "Ash, why did you do that?" Misty scolded. "You heard from Azar how...hard it is for Aura to be... _warm_ to others."

            "...Yeah..." Ash muttered. "I suppose she's not the first Lucario I've met with a cold heart."

            "You mean that whole thing with Sir Aaron's staff that you told me about?" Misty remembered one of Ash's tales of his journey through the Battle Frontier.

            "Yeah."

            "I'm gonna go see if she's all right," Misty started in the direction that Aura had run off.

            "Mist," Ash grabbed her arm. "She...has a temper. Be careful."

            "I should be telling _you_ that," Misty shrugged him off before going anyway.

             Aura hated humans. Every last _freakin'_ one! They all belonged in Hell! They could never be forgiven...for their sins.... _Never_....

            "Aura?" A soft voice broke her ranting thoughts.

            Misty cautiously approached her. Aura took a single step back, but made no move to attack, threaten, or flee.

            "Thank you."

            "Uh..." Aura was taken aback. A _human_... _thanking_ her for her life? "You're...you're welcome?" It came out like a question.

            "If you wanted to join us...we'd be happy to have you along."

            _Absolutely not!_

            "My place is here."

            "Alright, then," Misty walked away, not noticing Azar approaching the Lucario.

...  
...  
 

Ash and Misty were about to set off. Fire Sage Azar was having a last few words with the Chosen One, as Nyx and Misty checked their supplies. The Shiny Umbreon would be joining them on their journey...as a favor to Azar...and Hikari. Azar was now accompanied by one of his aides, a Charmeleon named Vulcan. After a long argument with Azar, Aura had taken to locking herself in her shed.

            "What's her deal _this_ time?" Ash asked.

            "I had to do some convincing...and she's not too pleased to be trapped by her own word...or to _lose_ to me," Azar chuckled.

            "Let me guess," Ash grinned, "it had something to do with _not_ killing us."

            "Something like that," Azar muttered. "Aura!" He barked at the shed. "The Chosen One is about to leave. Don't you want...to say...goodbye?" Azar grinned at some personal joke in what he said. Vulcan smiled slightly, arms crossed, but then scowled again just as quickly.

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Aura came out slowly. She was wearing her tattered, bloodstained blanket-turned-cloak, a knapsack slightly hidden under it. In her right paw, she held her best spear; one that Azar helped her make, with an actual metal tip, pointed and deadly. It actually more or less resembled a lance rather than a spear, but Aura couldn't care less. She also wore her pearl necklace around her throat.

            "Where are _you_ going?" Ash grinned.

            "Shaddup," Aura snarled.

            "Good luck, Chosen One. Take care of him, young Waterflower," Azar smiled in goodbye. "Aura...may our paths cross again someday."

            "Won't Hikari be proud?" Vulcan said, almost sarcastically. "Don't worry, I'll protect your territory while you're gone."

            "What?" Ash wasn't sure he understood.

            Aura ignored him, turning to Misty.

            "Looks like I'll be taking you up on that offer, after all."

...  
...  
 

It didn't take long for things to go bad. Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Aura, and Nyx were traveling down a path, heading towards Pewter City to see Brock and let him know that they were all right. Aura took a step ahead, and turned to face them, now walking backwards.

            "Humans," she addressed her new companions-however unwanted. "I suppose that just saying 'human' could cause confusion. So, since _you_ know _my_ name, I should know yours... _I guess_."

            "Misty Waterflower," Misty smiled, ignoring Aura's cold rudeness.

            "Ash Ketchum," Ash sounded as indifferent as Aura had been to Misty's name. However, Aura suddenly took a slight interest in this Chosen One.

            "I suppose that Ash is short for Ashura, right?" Aura half-shrugged.

            "Yeah...what's it to ya?" Ash narrowed his eyes at her.

            "Nothing, human, nothing _at all_."

            But, Nyx noticed that it wasn't "nothing at all,” as Aura turned and slowed, so she was walking behind them again, never turning her back on them...particularly the Chosen One.

            A few hours later, after lunch, Aura suddenly left camp. She left her stuff near the others’ packs. Ash started after her.

            "Where are you going?"

            "Hunting," Aura muttered. "I'm hungry."

            "We had lunch two minutes ago."

            "I need _real_ food in me. Not those pellets you feed the Pokémon that follow and obey _like slaves_. I deserve meat, and I'm willing to get it _myself_!" Aura kept going, despite the fact that it was unknown territory.

            "We should stick together."

            "I _hate_ humans," Aura muttered.

            "Then, why are you coming with us?"

            "I promised Hikari that I'd serve the Chosen One." Aura definitely regretted that now.

            "Who's Hikari?"

            "The only person I trust."

            "Oh, so she's human?"

            "No."

            "Then...?"

            Ash stopped, looking around.

            "I think we're lost," he muttered.

            Aura looked around, sighing, then suddenly stiffened. Ash didn't notice.

            "I'm _always_ doing this," Ash sighed to himself. "And now I don't even have Pikachu to help me back to camp."

            "Shh," Aura hushed.

            "This is so typical."

            " _Shut up_!" Aura barked. "Listen!"

            Ash did. His eyes widened, and he exchanged glances with the Lucario.

            Hissing!

            “Ekans?” Ash breathed.

            “I hope,” Aura lied.

            _No…far too big. I’d have to say…_

            “CHAAAAA!” A huge purple-ish cobra Pokémon leapt out at them.

            “Arbok!” Ash yelped, turning to face it.

            “Chaaaa….” Another one hissed into view behind them.

            “Chaaaa….” A third and a fourth followed suit.

            “Arceus-damn!” Aura barked.

            “We’re completely surrounded!”

            “Thank you, Captain Obvious!” Aura snarled at Ash.

            “Let’s…” Ash started, ignoring her.

            “Leave it to me!” Aura interrupted, leaping at the closest Arbok.

            “Wait!” Ash yelled, but Aura attacked anyway.

            Aura landed right in front of a shocked Arbok, and jumped straight up in an uppercut, cutting the underside of the cobra’s jaw with her paw spike.

            “Chaaaa…” it hissed in pain and frustration. It shook its head, splattering blood everywhere. “Chaaaa!”

            “Chaaaa!” The others all hissed together.

            “Oh, _shit_ ,” Aura growled.

            “What?” Ash didn’t understand.

            “They’re not as stupid as I’d hoped,” Aura muttered. “They know better than to underestimate a desperate opponent.”

            “What are they _doing_?” Ash started to take a Pokéball off of his belt.

            Even more Arbok hissed and slithered into view.

            “Calling for help, of course,” Aura said almost calmly.

            “Well, this is unfair!” Ash yelled at the Pokémon. “Let’s even the odds! Go-!”

            “No!” Aura stopped him. “I _got_ this!” She yelled at the trainer. “I’ve been in worse,” she added to herself.

            The cobra Pokémon hissed and slithered in winding circles around her, almost ignoring the harmless human, waiting for the right moment to take down the threatening Lucario. But, the Lucario spun in place just as quickly, determined to not leave a single spot vulnerable for even a second. She made no more movements to attack, however.

            _First rule of survival, of defensive battle, is to_ never _make a hasty move,_ Aura scolded herself mentally. _If I had remembered_ that _, I wouldn’t be in this mess._

            _Do something already!_ Ash was starting to become impatient. If Aura didn’t come up with something, and fast, he’d have to send out a Pokémon or two to help.

            _Snakes…never change. Ekans, Arbok, Seviper, and humans…all snakes,_ Aura thought to herself. _They slither, thinking they’ll win by sneaking._

            “What are you…?” Ash yelled at her, tossing the Pokéball up and down.

            “Shut up!” Aura barked. “This is nothing.”

            “Are you _waiting_ for them to kill you?”

            “Shut the hell up, human!” Aura was losing her patience. Her glare locked with his. A memory of red eyes jump-started an idea.

            _If a snake will only attack to win…let him win! A trick!_

            Aura stopped spinning, and stood still, almost relaxed, and closed her eyes. She listened.

            “What are you _doing_?” Ash gasped. “ _Giving up_?”

            “Chaaaa!” One of the Arbok took a chance on it, coiling itself up and springing itself at Aura, mouth open and fangs dripping with its paralyzing poison.

            Aura heard it.

            She opened her eyes, grinning, and took a single step to the right-just in time. The Arbok was flying right past her-its fangs missed her face by less than an inch. She reached out, and grabbed the tip of the tail as it whizzed by her.

            “Chaka?” The Arbok choked in surprise, as Aura spun it around-hitting a few of the others with it as she did-and threw it.

            Whack! It collided with a nearby tree.

            “Chaaaa…” it hissed as it lost consciousness.

            “Who’s next?” Aura smirked.

            Several of the remaining Arbok leapt at her at once. Aura dropped to the ground a split second before contact. The Arbok looked flabbergasted as they crashed headfirst into one another.

            “Aw, now that was too easy,” Aura mocked. “Not so smart _now_ , eh, snake breath?”

            _She’s not fighting like a normal Pokémon…with actual attacks and stuff,_ Ash realized. _She’s attacking physically, without training or focus on her inner abilities. This isn’t a battle…she’s practically street-fighting!_

            “Can I help now?” Ash feigned boredom.

            “Help what?” Aura shrugged. “I’m almost done!”

            _Don’t get cocky!_ Ash prayed.

            “Hey, now,” Aura barked, as another one made a jab at her face, which she avoided by inches. “Don’t you know when to quit?” She stepped on its tail, causing it to stop in mid-flight, and fall straight to the ground with a thump!

            “ _Fool_ ,” Aura understood The Arbok’s hissing. “ _You’re outnumbered_.”

            “I’d rather be out _numbered_ than out _matched_.”

            “AURA!” Ash barked, seeing her potentially fatal mistake before she did.

            She’d ignored her rear, focusing only on her frontal view.

            “ _Die_!” A large male threw his massive weight at her.

            Aura started to turn around.

            “What the-!” She barked, wide-eyed in fear. In what she thought was going to be her last moment, she spun, swinging her right paw in an attempt at one last uppercut.

            Aura waited for the blackness to consume her.

            She felt a splash of liquid, and heard yelps of shock and fear. The sounds of terrified hissing faded away.

            _That’s it_ , she thought. _I made a stupid mistake, and now I’m dead. Sorry, Hikari. I’m…_

            She tried opening her eyes.

            _…Not dead._

            Aura’s shock was nothing compared to Ash’s. He could barely believe his eyes. The rest of the Arbok hadn’t fled for nothing. Aura’s last-ditch attack had worked, the paw blade ripping through the flesh of the large male Arbok. Its head had been severed, dousing Aura in a wave of blood. The body of the fallen beast had shocked the rest of the pack so much that they fled in fear.

            The gruesome and gory scene before Ash horrified him. Defeat the Arbok, yes; he’d have been fine with that. But, watching her kill it…no… _butcher_ the Pokémon in such a manner…it terrified him that a creature that he was hoping to befriend, somehow, could murder something so…cold-heartedly. Ash’s stomach turned, and he struggled to keep his lunch down.

            Aura looked at his pale face, down at the severed head, at her own bloodstained pelt, and then back at the teen.

            “Welcome to the world, Ash,” Aura said in a dark tone. “It was attacking to kill. Survival depends on one law. The strong stay alive, and the weak die. If I have learned one thing in this world, it’s that killing something that was so willing to murder you for nothing…is no sin.”

            “You didn’t have to…” Ash trailed off, mouth still agape.

            “Ash…you don’t understand,” Aura said before he could find his voice. “There are some in this world that are all too eager to kill for their own needs, to meet their own ends. At least, with this one dead, we have the promise that it will never kill an innocent child, alone on his journey.”

            “Where did you learn to fight like that?” Ash asked, trying to accept what she was telling him. She had a point. The Arbok may have well killed her, had the Lucario not reacted in the nick of time. “All last second, and without actual attacks and…” Ash’s voice vanished again, and he stared wide-eyed in fear at something behind Aura.

            “ _Aura…_ ” he breathed her name.

            “What?” Aura was surprised by his sudden fear.

            Then, she saw a shadow fall on the ground from behind her. Fear rooted her to the spot.

            One Arbok hadn’t fled, yet.

            “ _Vengeance…_ ” it hissed softly.

            _Quick,_ Aura thought, her heart racing. _What did Hikari say was code for he-?_

            Then, she felt massive agony, and the prickling sensation of toxins entering her bloodstream.

            “HARK!” She yelped, her voice cracking in her anguish. “ _HARK THE RED MOON!_ ” Her voice reached an octave normally out of her abilities on the last word.

            The Arbok had taken a chomp at her left side, getting her arm as well as that side of her torso. By the time it let go of its hold on her, she felt the pain start to subside, as the poison started the paralysis process. Aura stumbled.

            _Damn my ego_. _If I’d only accepted Ash’s help…he shouldn’t have listened to me. Damn…_

            “Ash…” she moaned, and fell forward onto the soft earth below her.

            “That’s it!” Ash tapped the Pokéball’s button once, enlarging it to full size, running to Aura’s aid. “Go-!”

            “ _Oh, no you don’t!_ ” The Arbok-a female-bit Ash in a similar manner 

            “Mmmhhhph!” Ash moaned. Being human, the poison worked faster than it had on Aura. He fell straight down into a crumpled heap, dropping the Pokéball in the process. It rolled away for a few feet, attracting the gaze of all three, attacked and attacker alike.

            _Please, please, please_ , two hearts prayed with all their might.

            It slowly came to a stop, and time seemed to freeze. The ‘ball remained motionless.

            Nothing.

            _Damn!_

            The Arbok hissed in dark laughter, as Aura glared at Ash.

            “I hate you.”


	8. Beginning Again

Moonsbane was old. _Very_ old. He couldn't even remember the year he was born, not without extreme effort. It didn't help that it had been in a calendar that was completely forgotten, even to history. He glanced into the puddle of water, catching sight of his reflection in it.

            The man that looked back at him definitely did _not_ look _anywhere_ near old. In fact, he _barely_ looked like an adult.

            He appeared to be in his late teens, maybe somewhere from seventeen to nineteen. He could, on the occasion that he desired a drink, pass himself off as 21, but that was just about his limit. He face was usually clean-shaven, though he had grown a beard a few times, and a moustache once or twice. His eyes had a tendency to slightly change in color, between a rich green and a dark blue, though they usually stayed somewhere in the middle. He had let his dark reddish-almost the rich, deep scarlet of blood-hair grow out a considerable length, about halfway down his back, and had it tightly held in a ponytail. He had muscular arms, legs, and torso, but was otherwise thin.

            Behind him, leaning against a tree, was a very special motorcycle. He'd built it himself, including the engine, which was silent. He had even adapted it to a secret power source: a magical artifact he'd... _obtained_ a few decades back. Hidden in one of its compartments was a gun he'd bought a few years before, just in case. He wasn't fond of guns. Moonsbane was too old-fashioned, he supposed. He preferred his old, double-headed battleaxe, which he'd earned in a battle that nearly cost him his life. He would occasionally wonder where his fallen foe had obtained it himself, due to the strange runes carved in the blades and handle, and the stranger icon carved into the middle of the axe's head: a strange, humanoid figure holding up what appeared to be a sun or a star. The blade was still stained red in some spots, blood from battles long ago.

            He remembered the Sages...little more than legends to most humans...but Moonsbane was not "most humans." He'd seen many Light Sages come and go. He witnessed the rise of Hikari...the _bitch_. He _hated_ her. She was _obsessed_ with the Prophecy of the Chosen One...and those two punks she'd taken in at the same time as him. But that was _years_ ago. The girl probably didn't remember him, and the guy certainly didn't _want_ to, after the pain he'd caused his son. He wondered how such a _whiny_ little child could be the Chosen One. Maybe if he hadn't left Hikari's Keep so soon, he could have researched it more.

            "Well, that's how the wave breaks," He muttered a phrase he'd heard on an island, and mounted his bike. He turned the ignition, and the bike came soundlessly to life. It seemed to move by magic, as it dashed away without another sound.

...  
...  
 

Nyx and Misty were packing back up after lunch, when Aura wandered off, Ash following her-without Pikachu.

            "Pikachu-pi!" The electric mouse said suddenly. "Pika-pi pi Ka-pichu!"

            "I'm sorry, what?" Misty asked. "I didn't catch."

            "First," Nyx started translating, "he called your name, then said 'Ash and Aura!'" Misty looked at Nyx, either bewildered or concerned (he couldn’t really tell), and he simply added, "It's what he said."

            "What if they get in trouble?"

            "Ash will probably call for us," Nyx clearly didn't know the teen as well as Misty. "And, Aura knows the Code of the Sages."

            "Hmm? What Code?"

            "Well, it's a series of code phrases for communication. Only they're only taught to Sages and those in their charges. Azar and my...and Nila taught Aura a few, and Hikari personally taught her a very important one to know, both to use and to answer."

            "And that is...?"

            "Well, it's a cry for help. It's..." Nyx started.

            "HARK!" Aura's voice-from far off-cut Nyx's sentence in two. " _HARK THE RED MOON_!" She was clearly in extreme pain.

            "That," Nyx said dryly. "Damn!" He ran off towards the source.

            "Ash!" Misty breathed, following him.

_Why am I always the one left behind these days?_ Pikachu thought to himself.

            Nyx ran fast and hard, his paws slamming against the earth in a mad attempt to go faster than was physically possible for him.

            He had to save the Chosen One! The world depended on it!

            The first thing that hit Nyx was the smell. The heavy scent of blood, mostly Pokémon-Arbok, Nyx decided-clouded the air, blocking out any other aroma to Nyx’s nose. IT made him slow down, almost forcing him to stop completely as the smell overwhelmed him.

            And, that’s when he saw it: the headless corpse of the Arbok, its head about a foot away on the ground. The Shiny Umbreon stopped, gasping on what was just beyond him and the dead body.

            Ash and Aura were lying facedown in the ground, both bleeding from wounds on their sides. Slithering around them was a hefty female Arbok-and a pissed off one at that.

            “ _I’m_ _going to have fun with you_ …” the Arbok hissed, not even noticing Nyx. She licked Ash’s cheek, causing him to moan in pain and disgust. They were paralyzed!

            “Damn… you,” Aura choked out with great difficulty. 

            “NOT TODAY!” Nyx roared, jumping towards them, causing the Arbok to turn slightly in shock. Then, the Umbreon suddenly vanished.

            “ _What the-?_ ” The Arbok hissed in surprise. She didn’t finish, as Nyx completing his Faint Attack, hitting the Arbok head-on, knocked the wind out of her.

            “Leave them alone!” Nyx barked.

            “Sealeo!” Misty yelled from behind Nyx, throwing a Pokéball. “Aurora Beam!”

            “SEAL!” The Water/Ice Pokémon barked happily as it shot the multi-colored beam from its mouth.

            “Chaaaaabok!” The Arbok moaned in pain, shaking its head.

            “Hmm,” Nyx hummed to himself, twitching the frozen particles off of the tips of his ears; the Aurora Beam had just barely glazed them.

            “CHAA!” The Arbok roared in anger. “ _You bastards! Why do you insist on trespassing?_ ”

            _Damn,_ Nyx growled slightly. _We’re in Arbok territory. And, it appears that Aura had to go and kill their leader, which must have pissed off its mate._

            “Leave now,” Nyx said in a low, calm voice. “Go back to your…herd.”

            “ _If I refuse?_ ” The Arbok challenged.

            “We’ll kill you,” Nyx’s voice rumbled in his chest.

            The Arbok narrowed its eyes, unsure if the Umbreon would go through with that threat. When a black, spherical attack beam started to form in the Dark Pokémon’s mouth, the Arbok backed off a few feet, before slithering off without another word.

            “What was all that about?” Misty asked.

            “It’s Arbok mating season, and we seem to have traveled right through their mating grounds,” Nyx explained.

            Aura gradually struggled to stand up, fighting through the paralysis.

            “Well, then,” she said slowly, “let’s not waste any time getting the hell out of here.” She glared at Ash. “Get up!”

            Ash took a while longer to overcome the short-lasting venom, and stumbled around. Misty took a few steps towards him, offering to help. Ash put up a hand, silently refusing it, preferring to stagger some more. He started to fall, and Misty reached out, her hand gently catching his chest, steadying him before he could fall again.

            “I’m fine, Misty,” he muttered. “Why’d you…?”

            “You did the same for me.”

            “Not to ruin the moment,” Nyx interrupted. “But, I have to agree with our bitter friend here. We should get to Pewter City as soon as possible.”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded. “Didn’t Brock leave the same day as us?”

            “Uh-huh,” Misty nodded back. “Hopefully he’ll be home…and more than willing to have two friends over at such short notice.”

...  
...  
 

Brock _was_ back in Pewter at that time. However, he was not at home. Instead, he was at a Pokémon shelter. It took in strays that were abandoned within the city's limits and the surrounding wilds. The Control Center also gave warnings of feral Pokémon in the area to avoid. Lately, though, there was only the usual: just the one that the locals called the Mountain Spirit, a real urban legend of sorts, a new-age myth. The stories said that she would seduce humans-particularly males-to her mountain home, only to kill them and consume their blood. Brock didn't believe it at all. It was more likely just a new form of the bogeyman, someone mothers used to scare little kids into obedience.

            Sighing and deciding that some training would keep him from worrying about his two best friends for a while, Brock headed over to the Gym. However, it didn't last long. His Pokémon all sensed that something was bothering him. He wasn't even sure himself why he was so worried about Ash and Misty. He hadn't been the last time they went traveling without him. But, that was...four years ago? No...five? The fact was, Misty hadn't changed a whole lot, just matured a little bit. But, Ash...he was still Ash...but he wasn't eleven anymore. He was sixteen. Brock remembered what it was like to be sixteen...and given the chance to be alone with a girl. Before, other than rumors from Tracey, he would have never thought that his two best friends could have any sort of mutual attraction for each other. But...while traveling in Hoenn, Brock started to notice a slight difference in the young teen, one that became a bit more noticeable in the years to come...even more so in the past few months. It wasn't at all unrecognizable. Ash was heartbroken and lovesick. While being reunited with his best female friend seemed to do wonders-if not too much-for Ash's mood, he still seemed to prefer to spend a lot of time alone. But, Brock still had a hard time imagining the two...involved.

            Yet, he was worried all the same. He knew that, if it did happen...and it ended badly, then it would ruin their friendship, forever. Brock didn't want that to happen. They had been way too close for all these years.

            Brock rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. He walked towards the Gym’s Kitchen. Sometimes, he'd have to eat at the Gym, but he didn't feel so bad, now that both his parents were home, helping him with his siblings. He opened the fridge, and pulled out the bottle of wine his dad had given him for his twenty-first birthday a few months before. He wasn't super fond of alcohol, but a few sips of wine made him worry a little less, especially if it was bad enough that his worries gave him a headache. He poured a slight amount into a tall glass, putting the rest back in the fridge.

            He took a sip.

            No, there was nothing to worry about. Ash seemed just as put off by the idea of a relationship with Misty beyond friendship as he was years ago….

            _…Right?_

            Brock took another sip.

            Aw, who the hell was he kidding? Misty was head over heels for the kid, and Ash was just as smitten with her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps it would last. Granted, they were young, but at the rate they were going, they could well be adults long before anything came of their feelings.

            One more sip.

            "And, hey," Brock chuckled to himself. "I could be the best man!"

            Ding-Dong! The doorbell rang.

            Brock glanced at the wall clock. Who could it be at nine at night? Brock downed the last sip, and placed the glass in the sink. He walked through the lobby, as the doorbell was on the side door, near the personal quarters of the Gym. A police video show was on the television, but Brock paid little attention. He could hear voices on the other side of the door, even before he opened it.

            "...Still really hate..." a female voice was saying.

            "Hello?" Brock answered.

            "...This idea." The voice finished.

            As if by some strange psychic coincidence, just outside the door stood Ash–Pikachu on his shoulder–and Misty. However, Misty had not spoken before; they were not alone.

            "Hey, Brock!" Ash and Misty chimed together.

            "Pika-chu!" Pikachu greeted cheerfully.

            "H-hey!" Brock was in shock. And not just because of his friends' sudden appearance and ironic timing. Not even from the Shiny Umbreon that had joined them sometime in the last few days. No. It was their _other_ companion. The Lucario.

            _The Mountain Spirit_.

            Brock made a mental note to throw out the wine. Definitely _way_ too good a year.

            He stared–dumbfounded–as they all walked in, and the Lucario-a female wearing a battered old cloak and carrying some sort of spear or lance sat in front of the T.V., interested in the show, and completely ignoring the others.

            "Hey, guys!" Brock greeted again, shaking his head. "Who's your new Pokémon?"

            "My name is Nyx," The Shiny Umbreon spoke, shocking the Rock Trainer once more. "I belong to no one. I am the assistant and apprentice to the Night Sage, Nila. I am following the Chosen One as a favor to her, and to our friend, the Fire Sage, Azar...and for personal reasons." Nyx glanced briefly at Aura, and then returned his gaze to Brock.

            "The Mountain Spirit...exists?" Brock choked.

            "Surprise," Ash said dryly. "She about killed me when we first met."

            "If it wasn't for Misty here being ill," Nyx started.

            "Misty was _sick_?" Brock barked. What had happened?

            " _Was_ ," Misty emphasized. "Azar-he's a Ninetales, by the way-and Nyx nursed me back to health. And Aura there helped," she jabbed her thumb in the Lucario's direction.

            "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Aura waved behind her at them, never taking her eyes off of the screen.

            "I'll admit," Ash grumbled, "if it hadn't been for the dog, Misty and I would have had to spend the evening in the cold, where she would've gotten worse. I don't I could've... OH!" He suddenly caught eye of the television. "Car chase!" He grinned, and jumped over the back of the sofa, landing with great excitement-right next to a disgusted Aura.

            "How long are you guys staying?" Brock asked. "I figure you'd rather hang here than back at the house. Get some more sleep, you know?"

_And, hopefully, you'll_ literally _sleep...and not_ together, Brock couldn't help from thinking. Man, he hoped he hadn't gotten buzzed on such little wine. Maybe he should go lie down....

            "Just tonight."

            "Really?"

            "Yeah," Misty sighed. "We're passing through."

            "Where ya headin'?" Brock was curious.

            "It's a long story..." Misty started.

...  
...  
 

Gary decided to get some time around town, while his grandpa was well enough to manage the lab on his own. The teen didn't want to hurt the professor's pride, and he thought he'd talk to some people around, too.

            Few people seemed to remember anyone named Gyles. Many of the town's residents moved to Pallet after Ash's birth and his father's...death. Everyone just thought that Delia Ketchum was a widow trying her best to raise her son, and knew nothing else. A couple of people remembered Gyles-faintly. One older woman, who had been in her front lawn, gardening, mentioned something about how Mr. Ketchum had been a "real hell-raiser back in his day," and that "he's probably doin' the same from his grave...or wherever."

            So, there was someone that thought that Ash's father might _not_ be dead.  

            But, no one knew anything else. Except for Delia herself, and possibly his grandfather, and Gary Oak was no fool. He knew that those two wouldn't budge. And, he just couldn’t figure out how to get more answers.

            "Hey, Gary," A female voice cut through his thoughts.

            "Hey, sis," Gary barely noticed her. "Huh?" It suddenly hit him. He turned to face her. "You're home!"

            "Yep, little bro." Her long brown hair flowed as she turned back.

            "Since when?"

            "About five minutes ago."

            "Oh."

            Gary was excited to see his sister again, home from her own journey. But, it also brought pain. They hadn't been close since...since their parents had died in that scary car accident with a drunk driver when he was little. Which was also why both of them absolutely refused to touch alcohol. And Sasha was 23, for Murkrow's sake!

            "Hey, Sash!" Gary called after her before she could continue back towards home.

            "Yes, Gar?"

            "Do you remember Ash's dad?"

            "Mr. Ketchum?" Sasha almost seemed confused. "Vaguely, I suppose." Good God! His lucky break! From his sister! Who'da thought? "I remember...he was a little scruffy, but...tough-looking, too. Like the way I'm sure Ash will when he grows up.” Ash. Tough. Right. Gary scoffed, but let Sasha continue. “And, despite his serious personality, he certainly loved Mrs. K a lot. Then, one day, after Ash was born, I was swinging on that old tire swing we used to have in the front yard...actually, it was night...and raining. I wasn't supposed to be out there. But, I saw him. He seemed to be in a hurry, carrying some sort of package...and he seemed upset. I never saw him after that, and Grandpa later told us he was dead. I guess he got real sick, or something."

            "Oh..." Gary sighed. _Dead end. Damn!_

            "But, there was something else."

            "What?" Gary suddenly perked up again.

            "When I first saw Ash, a few days before his dad died, he looked...sick. No, _sickly_. But...after the funeral...the next time I saw him...he seemed healthy again. _Too_ healthy."

            Gary didn't know whether to feel relieved or horrified.

...  
...  
 

Aura would have liked to been traveling faster, but she refused to expose her back to the Chosen One. She clearly didn't trust him. Nor did she like him, barely speaking to him. Misty wasn't much better, but Aura didn't expect her to drive a dagger into her back while she slept. Not that Aura slept much, and when she did, it was in some place that would not easily allow humans: up in trees, in small, abandoned dens, once even on a slight ledge protruding out of the face of a sheer cliff.

            Nyx was clearly worried about her. She refused to go the path they had originally planned on. When they mentioned that they meant to take the Pewter-Cerulean-Viridian crossroads to the east and visit Misty's sisters, Aura flat-out refused, insisting that they took a more direct route. Nyx suspected that it wasn't time that Aura was worried about.

            Aura also had a problem with Brock's offer to rejoin the group. While Ash and Misty would've liked to have their friend along (not to mention, he was the only one who could cook something _edible_ ), Aura claimed that the extra person would cause more delays, not to mention use up more of their precious supplies. Brock knew almost right away that supplies and time were not Aura's main concern. He knew-from the area legends and from the way she acted-that she didn't like him, simply because he was human. He didn't push the matter. Maybe Ash and Misty needed some...time alone.

            _Please_ , he thought, as he watched them walking off into the horizon. _Please, for Mew's sake, don't do anything...rash...._

...  
...  
 

A few days, maybe three, went by....

            And, the group hadn't even seen a building since they left the limits of Pewter City. They had traveled in relative silence, and little distractions. Aura saw to that, and Nyx decided to not fight her...for now. They were almost there, now, anyway. Nyx just knew it.

            "Where are we?" Misty asked Ash.

            Before the trainer could respond, Nyx sniffed the air, and responded.

            "We're a few miles to the northwest of the boundaries of the Safari Zone," he decided. "We're almost there."

            "Good," Misty sighed in relief. "I could use a breather."

            "And food!" Ash grinned. "I'm _starved_!"

            "Leave it to you to think about your stomach," Misty shook her head.

            " _He never changes, does he_?" Pikachu chuckled.

            Aura tensed.

            "Early evening," she muttered to herself, looking around. "Must be dusk patrol." She inhaled deeply through her nose. "Kangaskhan," she muttered to herself. She opened her eyes again. " _Nathe_!" Aura breathed.

            However, the others paid no attention to her.

            "Maybe, if we head this way," Nyx suggested, taking a few steps.

            He never heard the crackling noise of a twig breaking. But Aura did.

            "Grah!" Aura barked, leaping in front of the group for the first time in days, turning her body around in a spinning kick. Her right paw came into contact with a swinging fist, successfully blocking the attack.

            Aura looked right into the eyes of a Kangaskhan, as she predicted.

            “Oh, my god!” Misty breathed.

            “Sara?” Aura breathed. “Where’s Nathaniel? _He’s_ got dusk patrol, doesn’t he?”

            “Aura?” The Kangaskhan apparently knew the Lucario. “Nathe’s stuck with the other males at the Temple. There are humans around.”

            “You mean them?” Aura jabbed a paw at Ash and Misty.

            “No. Well, yes. But, no.”

            “You know her?” Misty asked.

            “I met her and Nathaniel along with Saki at Hikari’s Keep,” Aura said nonchalantly. “Once.”

            “Who’s Nathaniel?” Ash asked.

            “A Kangaskhan.”

            “What?” Misty breathed.

            “A Kangaskhan,” Ash repeated. “Named Nathaniel. A male name? For a female-only species?”

            “Now, that’s misleading,” Aura almost smiled.

            “Indeed,” Sara nodded. “Just because you’ve never seen a male Kangaskhan-nor has any other human for over a century-doesn’t mean that they don’t exist.”

            “Then, where…?” Misty started.

            “At the Temple, of course,” she smiled. “This _is_ the Chosen One, isn’t it, Aura?”

            “The boy?” Aura seemed to not care. “That’s what I’ve been told.”

            “Hikari will be thrilled!” Sara breathed. “At long last!”

            Ash noticed that the Kangaskhan’s pouch was empty. Either her baby had grown up, or she simply hadn’t had one yet. He couldn’t decide, and didn’t have the heart to ask, as she led them through a maze of trees and rocks and tall grasses. He looked at Misty.

            She was….

            “Togetic!” His friend breathed.

            “Huh?” Ash stopped, turning forward again, following her view. Before them was a stone temple, three times the size of his house-at least-nestled safely in a canyon of stone. A Togetic had flown out to meet them.

            “Have you come to greet us?” Ash half-expected it to speak in English.

            “Indeed, I have,” it smiled. _She_ smiled. Its voice was definitely feminine. “I am Saki, the Normal Sage. Welcome, Chosen One and allies, to the Temple of the Normal Element, home to the Orb of Support!”


	9. Support

A young Kangaskhan was running down the temple. He had just left his mother’s pouch a few months before. His purple coloring had the very slightest of a brownish tint, his eyes were a dark red, and his fangs were about half the length of an adult two years older than him. His tail was a little bit too big for his body proportionally, and his ears flapped with every step he took.

            He supposed that trying to carry three, heavy volumes of the journals of past Sages was a little…unintelligent of him, and made it a bit harder to run. But, when he’d seen….

            He had been sitting just outside the Temple, surrounded by his books and the tall grass, when he saw the Normal Sage fly out in a hurry, clearly excited.

            “What’s the al…?” The youngster had started, but the Togetic had flown right past him. She was headed towards the entrance to the rocky, grassy ravine where the Temple was safely hidden. The youngster’s cousin, Sara, had just returned from patrol, and she appeared to have prisoners, a Lucario, an Umbreon, a Pikachu, and two humans.

            _Wait_ , he had thought. _They’re excited. Not prisoners. They’re guests! That means…!_

            And it was with that thought that the Kangaskhan picked up all three of the heavy books, and took off like a madman into the Temple, heading towards its library.

            “NAAAAAAAAAATHE!” He bellowed in his somewhat juvenile voice.

            “Hmm?” A male Kangaskhan turned his gaze slightly from the bookshelf in front of him. Nathaniel was about six years old-an adult by all rights for a Kangaskhan, even though his skin still had the slightest hint of baby purple-much to his embarrassment and frustration. Like the other males, Nathe didn’t have a pouch on his stomach, but armored plates similar to a Rhydon’s. He also had a male’s longer fangs, which was pointless now. Males were forced to migrate to the Temple as soon as they left their mother’s pouch. Apparently poachers got a lot of money for selling the armored plates that protected their chests and stomachs. It was for their own protection. Few were allowed to stay with their herds, and they were constantly in hiding.

            Not that Nathe had any problems with living at the Temple. He was allowed outside more often than not. He had access to the library and-while it was nowhere near the size of the one at Hikari’s Keep-he was never without a good book to read. He trained under some of the strongest Normal Pokémon in the world, and was good terms with the Sage, Saki. Nathe could even help in the kitchens whenever he wanted. He loved cooking.

            And then, there was Sara….

            Nathe shook his head.

            “What is it, kid?” He asked.

            “Saki…went…to greet humans!”

            “The Chosen One? At long last?” Nathe had grown up on the legends of the Chosen, but never believed until that moment that the Prophecy would come true in _his_ lifetime. Placing the book he had been thinking of reading back on the shelf, Nathe started out.

            “I’m comin’ too!” The little one tried to follow him.

            Nathe turned back, gently placing his hand on the youngster’s head, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

            “No. We don’t have any confirmation from Saki that it _is_ the Chosen One. It could be dangerous. You stay here.”

            “But….”

            “Promise me.”

            The little one pouted but muttered a “promise.”

            Satisfied, Nathe continued out of the Temple, and towards the returning Saki and…

            “Aura?” Nathe barely even noticed the humans or the Pikachu. “Nyx?”

            “Nathe!” Nyx grinned. “It’s been _ages_!”

            “You got that right, dude!”

            “Dude?” Aura echoed.

            “You know them, too?” Misty asked Nyx.

            “Of course,” he said brightly. “I met them at Hikari’s Keep, too. The Sages’ Aids often accompany them on said journey, especially those further away, like the one in Orre, or one of those in Sinnoh. It’s a safety measure, plus the Aids get to make friends, too, like Nathe and I are.”

            “Is it just me, or does everyone in the world know each other but not us?” Ash exchanged glances with Misty.

            “ _You have no idea_ ,” Pikachu said, shooting Aura a smirk.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ash and Aura both responded in the same tone of concern and suspicion.

            “Pika pi Pikachu pi Ka-Pichu ka Pi-Pikachu,” Pikachu muttered. Ash, Aura, and Misty all narrowed their eyes. “Chu ka-chu Ka-Pichu?”

            “Did _you_ get that?” Misty asked.

            “No. You?” Ash turned to Aura.

            Aura didn’t answer right away. She looked at him, eyes narrowed to thin slits. She glanced at Pikachu.

            “I have no idea,” She muttered, turning away.

            “Arceus!” Nathe suddenly hacked. “What stinks?”

            Ignoring him at first, Aura changed the subject by introducing everyone to each other, occasionally shooting glares at Pikachu, who simply smiled and blinked.

            “Seriously,” Nathe groaned. “What smells of Arbok?”

            Ash and Aura shot nervous glances at each other, Aura a bit more so.

            “Smells like blood to me,” Saki muttered, hovering around their heads. “Can’t abide the smell of stale blood,” she said half to herself.

            Ash smirked at Aura. The Lucario’s heart sank. She knew what they’d do if they knew….

            Would Ash?

            “You wouldn’t…” she breathed, her ears somewhat drooped.

            “To tell the truth,” he said rather loudly. “We ran into a herd of Arbok on the way here. Mating season, you know? We had a bit of a struggle, and Aura here decapitated one.”

            “And you didn’t bother to wash the blood off your fur?” Sara sounded disgusted.

            “I _so_ washed it. I just don’t…wait, what are you…?” She started. However, both Kangaskhan had surrounded her, Nathe smiling rather mischievously.

            “We can’t have you smelling like Arbok blood when you dine in the Hall, now can we?” Nathe chuckled.

            “You wouldn’t dare!” Aura half-breathed, half-prayed. She wasn’t sure whether it was to God or Arceus-in fact, at that moment she wasn’t even sure that either even existed-but she hoped with all her might that….

            The Kangaskhan each grabbed one arm with undeniable force. Aura struggled, but to no avail. She turned her head slightly to glare at Ash, her fangs bared in a vicious snarl.

            “I hate you.”

            And with that, the Kangaskhan dragged the fighting Lucario back to the Temple.

            Refraining from laughing his head off, Ash took a great comfort in the fact that, despite her aggressive nature and supposed hatred towards him, Aura still had one fear that kept her in line, even if it was a fear as trivial and embarrassing as being afraid of a bath.

...  
...  
 

“Stop squirming!” Sara gave an exasperated sigh. “You’ll get soap in your eyes.”

            “And your mouth,” another, older female Kangaskhan added.

            “Too late,” Aura spat soapy water out of her mouth as she broke the surface. Her entire pelt was soaked in the bathwater, and the top of her head was still half-covered with soap bubbles.

            There were four female Kangaskhan in the bathing room, surrounding the stone tub filled with soap water. Aura had been coerced into taking said bath, with all four Kangaskhan taking turns scrubbing various areas of her pelt. The Lucario struggled and fought with fang and paw spike, but was no match for the motherly Pokémon.

            “Pluh!” Aura spat out a mouthful of soap water. “Disgusting!” Then, with a twitch, she added, “Burn! Burning! Eyes!”

            “Who’da thought that your eyes could get any more red, huh?” Sara half-chuckled. 

            Aura’s howl of agony could be heard far down the Temple’s hall in the Library.

            “Hmm?” Nathe glanced over his shoulder. Then, he smiled. “Heh, some tough feral beast, huh?”

            “It is ironic that she hates baths so much,” Misty agreed. “Why is she…?” She trailed off.

            “Such a grouch?” Ash finished. “To put it nicely. I’d rather put it as-”

            “Well,” Nathe interrupted before the Chosen One could insult the Normal Sage, who was, of course, hovering around their heads, flying back and forth, half-frolicking in a happy manner. “I suppose it would have to do something with her past.”

            “No support in her heart,” Saki agreed, flying upside down in front of Ash.

            “Oh…kay,” he said slowly. Saki grinned, eyes closed.

            “I am not the first Togetic you’ve met, am I?”

            “No…” Misty said softly, looking away, at something on the floor no one else could see.

            “Hmm?” Saki righted herself, shooting the redhead a concerned look.

            “You’re just a _lot_ more energetic,” Ash didn’t seem to notice. Truthfully, he did, but was fighting a surge of foreign thoughts that almost scared him. Almost.

            _Your world is changing_ , Azar’s words echoed in his head.

            “I had a Togetic once,” Misty whispered.

            “What happened?” Saki felt a pang of sympathy.

            “He had to protect a helpless herd of Togepi in…a very far off place. I had to leave him there, so he could be their guardian.”

            “I know that place.” Saki muttered. She flew up close to Misty, and spoke in voice so soft that only the teen girl could hear. “When your friend gets the Orb of Support-and I know that he will-have him come with you to me. I have a surprise.”

            “Wait.” Ash had been thinking. “You said that Aura had no ‘support in her heart.’ Pardon my asking, but, what the hell does that mean?”

            Nathe growled in a low tone at Ash’s language.

            “Don’t bother, Nathaniel,” Saki narrowed her eyes at him. “It really doesn’t bother me that much, contrary to popular belief. Just because I’m expected to act ‘dignified’ doesn’t mean that I’m closed-minded. Tolerance is the first level of Support.”

            “You’re really obsessed with Support, aren’t ya?” Ash couldn’t decide if he should be amused or annoyed. Perhaps both.

            “It is the pure Essence of the Normal Element. Normal Pokémon have a tendency of surviving better by supporting one another, don’t they?” She said simply. “And, as for your question, I have a strong bond to the Orb, and such, I can sense the level of Support-or, rather, how supporting a person is-in a heart. Aura, as you call her, wasn’t always bitter, this much I can sense. But, something happened that drained the will to love out of her. Somewhere deep down, she still knows loyalty; yet, her heart has become bitterly cold. Her personality has turned to feral rage. This is not her fault. She is to be pitied. Always remember this. It will be a while before she can bring herself to truly help you, but, if all of you remain true friends towards her, maybe you can dispel the hate in her soul and put love and warmth back in her heart.”

            “Same as ever, Saki,” Nyx spoke for the first time since they entered the Temple. “Speaking in riddles, spouting wisdom, and confusing the minds of adolescents. When will you ever learn?”

            “When will you step in the pawprints of your father? And your mother?” Saki countered.

            After a brief silence, Nyx grimaced.

            “I believe I remember now why I preferred Nathe’s company over yours at the Keep.”

            “I AM NOT WEARING THAT ARCEUS-DAMN THING!” Aura’s voice echoed throughout the Temple, actually causing a few of the Library’s books to tremble. A Smeargle jumped six feet in the air, a look of pure terror and shock on his face.

            “I told Sara that the bow would be too much,” Nathe sighed. “I guess the elders simply wouldn’t listen. I know that Kathy’s a bit…over-pampering.”

            “ _To say the least_ ,” the Smeargle muttered. “ _I’ll never get my heart back to a resting beat_.”

            “Tell me about it,” Ash muttered. “That dog has given me a fair share of heart attacks.” Then, he added, half to himself, “And, she’s not the only one….”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “Uh,” Ash stammered. “What…what does…what…?”

            Then, everyone jumped to a loud thumping sound. Turning, the group saw Aura, fuming, with her paw slammed into the frame of the doorway to the Library. Her fur was far more vibrant than it had been in years, glowing despite her rage, the blues shone and the blacks were deep and rich. Her scarlet eyes shone like rubies, though still a bit bloodshot from contact with soap. And, topping it off, was Aura’s last straw; a large, hot pink ribbon was tied in a bow around her neck.

            “That’s more like it!” Nyx grinned.

            “So…” Aura tugged at the bow.

            “Very nice,” Ash smiled. Was it a smirk, or was he being sincere? The Lucario couldn’t tell. She didn’t give a damn, anyhow. This was _his_ fault!

            She yanked the ribbon bow off of her neck, and wrapped it around Ash’s neck.

            “I hate you,” she repeated. “So much.” With that, she turned around sharply, hitting Ash in the face with her ‘false hair,’ and walked briskly out of the Library.

            Scowling, Ash tugged it off of his own neck.

            “What’d I ever do to her anyway?” He muttered.

            Saki turned back to flying upside down, and opened her mouth to speak.

            “That was a rhetorical question,” Ash added to the Togetic.

            “I’m surprised that you even know what that means,” Misty chuckled.

            Ash grimaced.

            “Funny.”

            “So, uh…who’s hungry?” Nathe interrupted, and put his arms around the humans, and effortlessly nudged them to go in the same direction that Aura had gone – straight to the Hall for lunch.

...  
...  
 

Lunch was an interesting affair. Ash and Misty were approached by dozens of Normal Pokémon that lived in the Temple. Most of them had never seen a human before. They barely had time to eat between discussions. Several Pokémon also talked to Nyx, usually the older ones, as the younger generation made up a large percentage of those fascinated by the Chosen One and his friend. As it turned out, several of them had heard of the shiny Umbreon, and were proud to finally meet him.

            Aura, however, managed to eat her meal in peace. One or two younger Pokémon had tried to approach her, but she scared them off with a glare. No one else was insane enough to try to befriend her after that.

            _Not that this is much of a meal_ , Aura thought bitterly. _Berries and fruit? Arceus! I ate better when I lived…_ Her thoughts trailed off. _When I lived on my mountain_ , she corrected herself, tugging on her pearl necklace. She wrapped her worn cloak tighter around her, and took another bite of a Pecha Berry. _I miss…meat. Roasted, broiled, stewed…maybe I should’ve let the other human…no. No more humans. I’d rather starve._

            “Saki,” Ash whispered to the Togetic.

            “Yes?” She grinned in her usual, upside-down, manner.

            “Help!” Ash and Misty breathed together. The young Kangaskhan that had told Nathe about them earlier that day was trying to attach himself to Ash’s shoulder – which was Pikachu’s spot – and Misty was all but covered in young Rattata.

            “All righty, younglings!” Saki exclaimed brightly, righting her flight position. “Let the humans breathe. It’s time for the Chosen One to take the Test.”

            “ _Aw…_ ” The young Pokémon all moaned as they sulked away.

            “Thanks,” Misty chuckled. “They’re enthusiastic, aren’t they?”

            “They were raised on the legend of the Chosen One,” Saki explained.

            “Today must have been a dream come true for them,” Nyx chuckled.

            Aura grumbled something under her breath.

            “Wait,” Ash said suddenly. “Test? What Test?”

...  
...  
 

“You want me to _what_?”

            The Normal Sage had taken Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Nyx, and Aura to the top of one of the edges of the ravine where the Temple lay. There was a long rope bridge that went to the other side, and out of sight.

            “There is a path from here, which leads to the only known entrance to the Temple Shrine. You must reach it.”

            “ _That’s_ the Test that I’ve heard so much about? That’s _it_?” Ash chuckled. “This’ll be easy!”

            “Ash,” Misty groaned. “You know better by now.”

            “She’s right,” Saki nodded. “While I can’t give you details, it will be harder than you think. But there will be an occasional help. This is the _Support_ Temple, after all.”

            “Let me guess,” Ash muttered. “I gotta go alone.”

            “Not quite,” Saki smiled. “As with several Tests, you may take a companion or two. However, for this Test, _I_ get to choose who.”

            “Okay…” Ash wasn’t too sure about this. “How many?”

            “Two,” Saki was still grinning. “And, I’ve already decided.”

            “ _And…_?” Pikachu sounded anxious.

            “First, Nyx.”

            “Sweet!” The Umbreon grinned, dashing up to Ash’s side.

            “And…”

            _For the love of God, please…_

            “Aura.”

            _Damn_ , Ash thought bitterly. _I’m gonna die out there, now. She’s gonna kill me. I wonder if I should leave a will behind…_

            “Hey,” Ash tried to sound nonchalant as possible. “What are my odds of…dying?”

            “If you truly _are_ the Chosen One, as I believe you are, you should most certainly survive.”

            “And if he’s not?” Aura narrowed her eyes. Her mouth twitched.

            _A smile? Or a frown?_ Misty couldn’t decide.

            “Then, he might survive to the Temple…but the final Test, the one the Orb itself will place upon you…would most assuredly _kill_ you.”

            “So, no pressure?”

            “Naw,” Nyx grinned. “I’m sure there are far worse ways to die than by an overloading surge of pure energy, ripping you apart molecule by molecule, until all that’s left is a horribly mangled corpse.”

            “Oh…kay…” Ash suddenly looked sick. “I think I need to lie down.”

            “Coward,” Aura growled.

            “Let’s go,” Ash turned around, and took a few steps onto the rope bridge.

            “All right!” Nyx grinned excitedly. He leapt onto the rope bridge causing it to shake some.

            “Hey!” Ash struggled to stay on the thin rope separating him from the very steep fall to his death.

            “Sorry!”

            “This is a disaster just waiting to happen,” Misty was extremely concerned.

            “And I wouldn’t miss a minute of it!” Aura barked, carefully traversing over the rope bridge after the others.

            “ _She concerns me…_ ” Pikachu muttered to his trainer’s best friend.

            “Me too, Pikachu,” she said simply. “Me too.”

            Aura was somewhat amused by the way the two guys couldn’t manage to get across without almost stumbling off the rope five or six times.

            “How many of these things are there?” Ash moaned as he collapsed onto safe, steady ground on the other side.

            “It doesn’t matter, Ash,” Nyx nudged his side with his head. “We gotta keep going. We’ll make it. Get up.”

            Ash reluctantly did so, and slowly walked past the stalagmite-like rock formations around them, and out of the view of the others left at the start.

            “And, that’s all we can do,” Saki sighed. “May Arceus go with them.”

            Ash didn’t know if Arceus or God was looking after him. But, he was certain that the devil was walking with him.

            And Aura thought the same of the Chosen One. She was determined to better him, to prove to herself that this whole Prophecy nonsense was a colossal waste of time. Whether he lived or died didn’t matter to her. In fact, she almost hoped that he’d fail this Test… that it would kill him.

            Almost.

            “Damn,” she growled. She slammed her fist against a stalagmite-like rock foundation nearest the edge of the cliff that was now impeding their progress.

            “Hmm,” Nyx pondered. “Should we climb down it and back up the other side?”

            “You and Aura, maybe. But, there’s no way _I_ can manage a sheer cliff, down _and_ up. Even _I’m_ not that arrogant and stupid.”

            Aura was staring at the pillar of stone.

            “Maybe if we…” Ash started.

            Thomp!

            Ash and Nyx jumped at the sound. They looked around for the source.

            Thomp!

            Aura was throwing herself against the rock.

            “Aura,” Nyx sounded concerned. “There’s now way you can…. Just don’t. If we work together, we can overcome this. Just think for a minute.”

            Thomp!

            Aura ignored him.

            Thomp!

            “Maybe that’s how she thinks,” Ash suggested. “With violence.”

            Thomp!

            _I should show you violence,_ Aura snarled to herself.

            Thomp!

            “Ungh!” Aura stumbled. A massive headache was starting to build.

            “Aura?” Nyx took a few steps towards her. 

            Aura swiped at him with her paw spike.

            “I’m fine!” She barked.

            Nyx looked at her.

            _Why is she so afraid_?

            _Even_ I _know it’s impossible to move that rock without a stronger Pokémon_ , Ash didn’t get why Aura was so intent on it, though. _If only I could’ve brought something stronger… like an Onix._

            _I…have…to…do…this_ , was all Aura thought.

            Thomp!

            The sun hit the rock, causing it to shine.

            “Aura, don’t! You’ll kill yourself!” Nyx barked.

            Aura barely heard him.

            Thomp!

            Kkknnnch!

            She saw a slight crack on the stone, and felt the first surge of pride in years. It was working!

            She was the better one this time!

            Thom-Thomp!

            Aura stopped. She looked to her right to see Nyx. He had thrown himself at the rock, too.

            “Why?”

            “It’s the Temple of Support. If we work together, we’ll make it.”

            Aura didn’t buy the lie.

            They both threw themselves against the rock.

            Thom-Thomp!

            Ash didn’t get it. Why was Nyx helping her after she made it perfectly clear that she’d rather kill herself with her stupid stunt? Why had Saki even chosen her to follow him, to help him, when she herself had admitted that there was…how did she put it? ‘No support in her heart?’ Something like that.

            Ash couldn’t shake the feeling that she hated him above all things.

            Thom-Thomp!

            “If we had a little more weight, we’d pull this off easier,” Nyx looked at Ash.

            “Uh,” Ash hesitated.

            Thom-Thomp!

            He could trust Nyx. This Ash knew. But, Aura still made him anxious. The Lucario was even bitterer than the first one he’d met. But…Saki had said….

            Ash hesitated.

            Thom-Thomp!

            _Misty would kill me…_

            Ash suddenly grinned.

            Thom-Thomp! Thomp!

            Ash threw himself against the rock, too.

            “Oh, that was fun,” he muttered bitterly to himself.

            “Yeah!” Nyx cheered.

            Thom-Th-Thomp!

            Krrrrssssh-Thomp!

            The rock cracked under the great pressure, and finally broke. It fell forward, making a makeshift bridge to the other side of the ravine.

            “Ha!” Aura barked, almost happy, leaping on top of the stone bridge. “I did it!”

            “Um, we…” Ash started.

            “Just,” Nyx interrupted his protest, “let her have her moment.”

            “Moment?” Ash echoed. “Her ego is…”

            “Is a lot better than her temper,” Nyx cut him off. “Nila’s told me stories.”

            “Was that even possible?” Ash asked the Lucario. “That thing was solid rock. There’s no way….”

            “Support?” Nyx chuckled, scampering past them, and across the new bridge. “C’mon!” the Umbreon yelled after them.

            “Puh,” Aura scoffed. “You expect me to believe that some hocus-pocus, goody-two-shoes _magic_ did this? Like hell!” And with that, she ran off after Nyx.

            _Rain fell softly on the Lucario’s fur_.

            “Huh?” Aura stopped.

            “You okay?” Ash’s voice cut through the memory.

            “Aura?” Nyx sounded concerned.

            “Fine!” Aura barked, shaking her head.

            Nyx looked at her, uncertain.

            “Let’s go!” Aura snarled. “I’d like to be able to eat dinner sometime this week!” And she stormed off down the path.

            “I don’t get her,” Ash frowned slightly.

            “Hikari would not have made her promise to serve the Chosen if she didn’t think that the Lucario would be important to us,” Nyx tried to end the subject.

            “Who is Hikari?” Ash asked for the umpteenth time.

            “Let’s go make sure that Aura didn’t hurt herself,” Nyx ran off without answering.

            “Why do I get the feeling that I’m being inducted into a cult?” Ash asked himself before following the Umbreon.

            Aura had not hurt herself. She had simply wanted away. She wanted to be left alone.

            She wanted the memory to die.

            She could not admit the truth to herself.

            _Plosh! Plish! Plosh!_

_Every raindrop fell softly, and she felt each on individually on her injured body._

_They were like daggers, each and every one bringing a storm of agony throughout her entire body. She wanted it to stop. She no longer even cared if she lived or died. She simply wanted the pain to stop._

_Her head throbbed, bringing the only word that could explain how she had gotten there: Betrayed. It echoed throughout her thoughts. Betrayed, betrayed, betrayed…._

_They had betrayed her._

_She wanted it to end._

            “Aura?” Ash grabbed Aura’s arm. She was leaning face-first against one of the rock formations, trembling.

            _Had he come back? Had he come for her after all? Or was it Death coming, with his warm embrace? Who was calling her?_

_Aura tried to stand up. Struggling, she was almost there, when her strength gave out, and she fell once again into the muddy earth with a ploosh!_

Aura! Aura! _A voice called her from somewhere far off._

_“Stand up.” A powerful voice said to her. It wasn’t angry or ordering, but it didn’t quite seem like a request either. Perhaps a challenge?_

_Well, this Lucario wasn’t dying without a fight!_

            “Aura!” Ash and Nyx both yelled, yanking her back to reality.

            “What?” She grimaced. “It’s a headache. You never had one before?”

            _She’s awfully defensive_ , Nyx thought to himself.

            _Well, sorry for being concerned_ , Ash frowned as Aura shook off his grip.

            “How much further?” Aura asked Nyx.

            Nyx took a step towards another rope bridge.

            He stopped suddenly, tensed.

            “Close,” he whispered. _Very close_ , he added to himself. “There’s probably a cave-like entrance across this last rope bridge.”

            “That’s short,” Ash muttered.

            “Well,” Nyx turned slightly to grin at the human. “It _is_ only the first Test. Maybe they gradually get harder. Maybe they’ll slowly build up your strength.”

            “Hmm,” Aura didn’t seem to like that idea.

            Nyx took a step onto the rope.

            “Seems safe enough.” He said brightly. And, with a hum, he started across.

            “Heh,” Ash chuckled. He liked this Umbreon. He reminded him a bit of himself: good-natured, carefree, and positive-minded. The teen followed him out on the bridge.

            Neither of them heard the rope creak and moan.

            Aura uneasily stepped out onto the rope. She didn’t like it. She looked down.

            _Oh, Arceus!_ She inhaled. The fall was huge! How high up were they? If she fell…it wouldn’t kill her…. The sudden stop surely would though, and most likely painfully and messily. She forced herself to look ahead, steadying her breath and heart rates.

            She took a rather large step, and stumbled.

            _Fates preserve-!_ Her prayer was cut short when she stumbled into the teenager in front of her.

            Ash started to fall, but grabbed the hand rope on his left side to steady himself again. He bit back an angry retort, even when he heard no apology from the Lucario. Nyx was already across to the other side.

            _Stupid human!_ Aura growled to herself. Why did he have to go and ruin her life-or what was left of it?

            “Rrrgh!” She growl-scoffed in frustration.

            “What-?” Ash started, beginning to turn around sharply.

            _Far_ too sharply.

            He slipped, stumbled, and fell.

            “ASH!” Nyx roared in terror.

            Aura froze.

            Ash had reached-aiming for a side rope-and managed to grab onto the actual bridge rope with his right hand just in time. But, he couldn’t hold on forever.

            “I-I’m okay!” He announced.

            “Holy Ho-oh!” Nyx breathed in relief.

            “Aura?” Ash called out. “Help?”

            Aura took a step, so she could glare down straight into his eyes.

            His dark blue eyes.

            “Aura?” Ash didn’t feel too confident about this.

            Her eyes narrowed in hate. And the source of that hate seemed to radiate from those eyes. He didn’t deserve that deep, rich color. He didn’t deserve to uproot her peaceful existence.

            She didn’t deserve it. Did she?

            Did he deserve this?

            Aura let her hate decide for her.

            “No. I don’t think I shall. If you are the Chosen One…you can get out of this yourself. If not…then I was supposed to kill you, anyway.” And Aura jumped over his hand, preparing to leave him hanging there until exhaustion led him to fall to his death.

            The rope moaned again. Aura froze. She started to turn back towards where Ash was holding on for dear life. Aura’s eyes went wide, as she watched the spot where Ash’s hand was struggling to keep its grip start to fray and fall apart.

            Aura reacted without thought, or even certainty of what was going to happen.

            She leapt at Ash, grabbing the rope with her right paw. Just as she did, the rope snapped under Ash’s hand, and he lost his grip. Even as Nyx roared out in terror again, Aura reached out with her left paw, and caught the teen’s right hand. They swung towards the face cliff.

            _Damn it!_ Aura snarled to herself, embracing herself for the impact, her slightly bent legs between her and it. With a jolt, she made contact with it, and almost lost her grip on the rope.

            “Ash!” Nyx was still shouting. “Aura!”

            “We’re fine,” Aura sighed.

            _Damn, what does this kid eat?_ Aura struggled to hold on. He was heavy!

            “Whatever happened to letting me save myself or die?” Ash couldn’t resist asking.

            “I decided that Fate wasn’t going to cheat me out of killing you myself,” Aura sounded uninterested.

            “Right,” Ash didn’t buy that. “Okay then, are you going to help me now?” 

            Aura sighed.

            She pulled him up to where he could grab onto a slight ledge, and let go when he was hanging on by himself.

            “I hate you,” she reminded him.

            “I’ll remember that.” Ash looked up. “How are we going to make it now?”

            “Climb the rope,” Aura said, hinting more than a little at the obviousness of the statement. “You go first.” _And you’ll check to see if it can hold us as we climb,_ she added to herself.

            Ash willingly obliged. He was about done with this, anyway. He didn’t get far, though, when Aura heard the rope moan again.

            “Oh, God, no…” Ash moaned when he heard the Lucario’s gasp of fear. The complaint was barely out, when the rope above him snapped, and he started to fall yet again.

            “Ash!” Aura yelled out, switching her grip to the ledge he had been on earlier, and reached out towards him. She made contact with his left hand, but he slipped and kept on falling.

            Aura watched in horror.

            Ash didn’t like the sensation of falling. It brought feelings of regret. He knew he was going to die, now. And his biggest regret was suddenly….

            Something surrounded him, and he no longer felt quite like he was falling. Not entirely, anyway. His vision was blocked out by dark brown…skin? All he could hear beyond his own pounding heart was another, larger heartbeat. Then there was a thump and a hiss.

            “Wha’ ‘appened?” Ash felt dizzy.

            “Thought you could use a deus ex machina,” a familiar voice chuckled.

            “Nathe!” Ash exclaimed. “What…?”

            “I didn’t think I was going to make it. That was a bit too close for my liking, eh, Chosen One?” The male Kangaskhan chuckled.

            “Thanks.”

            “ASH!” Aura finally found her voice above them, as the dust settled from being kicked up by Nathe’s landing.

            “I’m okay!” Ash yelled up to her.

            “I got ‘im!” Nathe added in a booming shout.

            “I’m gonna kill you, human!” Aura couldn’t hide the relief within her rage.

            “Got it!” Ash chuckled.

            “You go on ahead!” Nathe shouted up to the other Pokémon. “We’ll meet you at the Shrine itself!”

            “’Kay!” Nyx yelled, relief heavy on his voice.

            “Humph!” Aura scoffed to herself, as she slowly climbed her way to the top of the cliff and dragged herself onto solid ground again.

            “Why so glum?” Nyx asked. “He’s okay!”

            “God loves to mock me, Nyx,” Aura snarled. After a long silence, she sighed. “Let’s get this over with. I’m hungry.”

            “We just ate!” Nyx exclaimed as he ran after her into a nearby archway into the caves.

            “Do you know your way around?” Aura muttered as the cave got darker and darker.

            “Sort of…” Nyx muttered. “Wait for it…” Then, the Shiny Umbreon’s blue markings glowed softly. “Follow me.”

            Aura stumbled slightly off and on as she followed him through the tunnels, and Nyx’s glowing grew at a pretty constant rate, until he lit up the caves like it was daylight… _blue_ daylight, but still just as bright.

            Aura never asked _how_ Nyx knew how to get to the Shrine. She decided that she didn’t want to know.

            Ash understood how Nathaniel knew his way through the caves. The Kangaskhan _lived_ at the Temple, after all. He’d probably been to the Shrine a few times before himself. The teenager walked slowly through the tunnels alongside Nathe. The direction his thoughts were going when he had been falling just a few minutes before was beginning to haunt him.

            Ash frowned.

            Was it even _possible_ that he…?

            “Chosen One.” Nathe said softly.

            “I just thought of something,” Ash stopped. “I thought that only Aura and Nyx were allowed to follow me.”

            “Heh, good point,” Nathe nodded. “But, there _is_ a loophole. If one of your companions feels no sense of Support towards you, then we may not lift so much as a claw to help. But, if the companion in question feels, even for a second, any level of Support for you, then we are allowed to save your life…once.”

            “What…? Wait…. Do you mean when Aura…?”

            “Saved you? Yes. It was most likely subconscious, but she still risked her own life for yours. It proves the idea that Saki, Azar, Nila, and Hikari all share, with a few of the others: Aura once had a deep, loving heart. No one knows why she turned bitter, except for Aura herself.”

            “So, what? You want be to find out why…?”

            “No, Ash. Some of the Sages, Azar in particular, might want you to, but I know better. If she wants to tell, she will. But, it’s _her_ memory, and it’s up to her to decide when, and _if_ , to tell it. Forcing her will only drive her away. Even I can tell that there’s something… fateful about her.”

            “Fateful? You sound like a Sage.”

            “Heh, nah. Sounds nice, but I don’t think it’ll happen. ‘Sides, being a Sage is a lot of work.”

            “Why are we stopped?” Ash peered around the almost-pitch black caves, finding one pathway that emitted a slight light.

            “The Shrine,” Nathe said in a low voice. “I’m afraid that we must part ways here. Good luck…Chosen One.” And Nathe walked back to where they had come from.

            Ash hesitated. He was alone. What if…?

            He heard footsteps. Two people…or three? No, it was a bipedal and a quadruped… Aura and Nyx!

            Ash ran into the cavern that was emitting the light.

            The first thing he noticed was Nyx, his blue markings glowing with a blue light that seemed to radiate from the Umbreon’s entire body. Then he noticed Aura, with her typical scowl, her arms crossed, obviously not wanting to see him. Did she still hate him? Ash shook his head and the thought.

            The next big thing he saw was the room itself. The walls were smoothed out into four walls, like any room in any typical house, creating a boxed-in feeling. The walls had carvings in them, most were written in a language-and runes-that Ash had never seen before. There were also drawings and murals etched into the walls, of battles and wars long gone. Then, there was a statue, made out of some sort of bronze metal. It was of a Riolu ( _A fighting Pokémon in the Normal Shrine?_ Ash asked himself) holding a small human child, with a Dratini wrapped around the small Pokémon’s neck like a scarf. The Pokémon looked concerned for the unconscious human. It felt like a scene from history, frozen forever in the statue’s silence.

            Then…there it was. In the center of the room…was the Shrine. It was quite simple, really. There was another statue of a Riolu, this one made out of silver, sitting on the ground, legs crossed, in meditation. And, it held above its head a small sphere, about the size of an activated Pokéball. It appeared almost clear, yet almost opaque, like it was a mix between some sort of crystal and a pearl. Ash felt strangely fascinated and attracted to this object. There were a few other statues around the Riolu, of varying metals: a Rattata, a Furret, a Smeargle, a Togepi, a Teddisura, a Zigzagoon, and a baby Kangaskhan.

            “Anyone else feel like we’re not alone?” Nyx muttered, looking around.

            “What do you mean?” Ash asked.

            Aura simply looked at Nyx, a puzzled look on her face.

            “The Orb…” Nyx trailed off. “Ash…it’s time. Take the Orb of Support.”

            Ash walked up to it, careful not to kick one of the statues. He looked around. Nyx was watching him expectantly. Aura was staring at the bronze statue in the corner, a blank look on her face and a distant look in her eyes.

            “What about the…Test?” Ash asked.

            “It’s okay to fear death, Ash,” Nyx smiled. “But, I have faith in you. You _are_ the Chosen One. Just…don’t give up until you succeed.”

            With one last deep breath, Ash reached out, and grabbed the Orb with both hands.

            What happened next was almost unbearable.

            First, there was the wave of uncontrollable pain, which seared through his entire body, causing him to cry out in shock and agony, slamming his eyes shut in his attempt to endure it.

            “Ash!” Nyx barked, and Aura turned in surprise, staring at the human with wide eyes.

            Then, the pain lessened, just a bit. Ash heard voices.

            _What is it?_ One asked. It sounded like a young boy.

            _This will make all the pain end…_ A powerful voice echoed.

            _But…that’s where…_

            _Yes…and now you can find comfort here, too._

            _By suffering by immortality? No thank you. I will find another way._

_Who are you_? A new voice asked, scared.

            _Come with me, friend,_ the first voice responded. _I know where we can go._

            _Where?_

            _In the Great Keep of the Knights of Arceus._

            The voices faded. The pain seemed to fade. Yet, Ash couldn’t remove his hands from the Orb. He couldn’t even move, at all.

            _Chosen One._ A new voice said softly in his head.

            _Why?_ Ash asked it. _Why me?_

            Silence.

            _I said…_ Ash never finished that thought, as a new wave of pain, greater than before, ripped through him.

            _RELEASE ME!_ The voice bellowed, as if it felt the same pain.

            And, with a huge burst of iron will, Ash gritted his teeth, and yanked his hands upright, removing the Orb from the Shrine.

            “He did it,” Aura breathed, as if in shock.

            Ash opened his eyes, and looked up at the Orb he held above his head. The pain was gone. The voice was gone. It was all gone.

            Ash closed his eyes, and fell backwards in exhaustion.

            “The punk passed out.” Aura frowned.

            “He earned the rest.” Nyx muttered. “And, this is only the first Test. He will _have_ to get stronger, or the others will kill him. Chosen or not, the Tests were designed to kill. It’s the only way to protect the powers of the Elements from falling into ill will and evil hands.”

            “You sound like a Sage,” Aura unknowingly echoed Ash’s earlier words.

            Nyx simply smiled.

            “Come on,” Nyx sighed, picking up Ash with his dark-furred body, so that he almost appeared to be wearing the human as armor. “Let’s go.”

            Aura looked at the Orb in the unconscious teen’s hand.

            “He won’t let it go, even when passed out. It won’t leave him against his will, now.” Nyx explained.

            He started down the way Ash had come in. With one last look at the bronze statue of the Riolu, Dratini, and small human child, Aura followed suite.

...  
...  
 

Misty feared the worst at first, when she saw the others coming back, with Ash lying unmoving on Nyx’s back. But when Saki cheered at the sight of the Orb in his hand, she breathed with relief.

            “He’s okay?”

            “Just a bit wiped out,” Nyx reassured the teenage girl. “We could all use a rest, eh?” He added with a smile to Aura.

            “Whatever.”

            “M…Misty…” Ash moaned, regaining consciousness.

            “Yes, Ash?” Misty smiled.

            “I…I did it.”

            Ash slowly stood up.

            “I survived!”

            “If you hadn’t, I would’ve killed you,” Misty grinned, causing Nyx to chuckle uncontrollably. “Though, why did you cry out like that?” She asked the Umbreon, causing his mood to sober up suddenly. “When you called out his name like that…it scared us…especially Pikachu.”

            “ _I’m not the one who practically lost it…_ ” the electric mouse muttered to himself.

            “Um…Ash almost fell on the last bridge,” Nyx admitted.

            “But, they saved me,” Ash said quickly. “I’m fine.”

            Aura started to walk away, back towards the Temple, without a single word.

            “Actually,” Nyx corrected as he watched the Lucario with a smile. “It was Aura who saved him.”

            Misty and Pikachu gasped.

            “I think I can explain,” Saki muttered. “I’ve done a lot of hypothesizing and guesswork since you arrived with her. And it is my belief that Aura hates Ash for several reasons, most of which is probably not even his fault: he most likely reminds her of someone she knew before she turned feral. She must not like bringing up these memories-they probably bring emotional pain-and she blames him for doing so. But, when he was in danger, she probably reacted due to one of two reasons. Either she decided that she was unfair in blaming him and that he really didn’t deserve to die for it, or she saw this other being-be it human or Pokémon-and could bear to watch _it_ die, even if only in her mind.”

            “That’s why you chose her,” Ash guessed.

            “Yes,” Saki nodded. “I knew that she would keep alive, at least until the Shrine itself.”

            “Speaking of which,” Ash held up the Orb. “It did something strange when I…”

            “No, Ash,” Saki shook her head. “Do not speak of it. The Test is for you to bear in secret. There may come a day when you may share it. But, to whom was not divulged to me. Perhaps Odin will know.”

            “Odin?” Ash asked.

            “Which brings me to my next point,” Saki continued. “The Orb is now in great danger. In the Shrine, ancient magic and charms protect it from breaking or failing. But, out here, it could break…or the power could be stolen from it if you run into something that has that ability. But, the Fighting Sage, Odin, has forged something that can store its power safely as well as protect it from shattering or dying…at least in theory. And, since the Fighting Temple is your next destination anyway….”

            “Yeah, I get it,” Ash smiled.

            “You can rest here for the night, but you should probably leave in the morning,” Saki sighed. “I’ll tell you your destination’s location before you leave.”

            “Didn’t you tell me you’d show us something with the Orb after Ash got it?” Misty remembered their discussion in the Library.

            “Oh, yes.” Saki lit up. “Ash, hold the Orb just a little bit in front of you, in both hands.”

            Ash did so.

            “Now…just listen, I know this will sound weird,” Saki went on. “I want you to concentrate. Close your eyes.” Ash hesitantly did so. “Focus on one thing: you are giving Misty permission to touch the Orb of Support. No one may touch the Orbs of the Elements without the direct permission of the Chosen One, under punishment of death. Remember that, Ash. Give her permission.”

            “Um…I think…” Ash started.

            “Don’t break your concentration. Her life depends on it. Have you given permission?”

            Eyes still closed, he nodded once.

            “Now remove your right hand from the Orb. Misty, place your left hand where his right was.” Ash did so without hesitation, but Misty was reluctant. Death? When she touched it…it felt warm. She was still alive. She wasn’t sure what to think about this. “Now, Ash, put your hand back.”

            “But…” Ash started to retort.

            “Trust me.” Saki said in her sweet voice, giving them no reason not to. After Ash had replaced his hand, which now covered Misty’s, Saki went on. “Now, do the same for your other hands. Next, you will be using one of the more…peculiar powers of the Normal Element, which is actually possible without Psychic powers: telecommunication. Most of the Orbs can create communication with the other Elemental Orbs, but only the Orb of Support and the Orb of Mind can create them directly to other people…and Pokémon.”

            “No way!” Misty exclaimed in joy. “You…you mean…?”

            “Yes, Misty, I mean,” Saki smiled. “Ash, Misty, I want you both to concentrate on the Togetic you once knew, every memory, and its current location. Concentrate on him and talking to him again.” Misty closed her eyes in concentration.

            The Orb glowed with a bright light, causing Misty and Ash to open their eyes in shock. The Orb had become like a spherical television, showing them an image of a very far off place.

            “ _Misty?_ ” The Togetic in the Orb’s display spoke in surprise.

            “Togetic,” Misty smiled, fighting back tears of joy.

            “ _Misty!_ ”

            Ash smiled to see his best friend reunited-though in a somewhat unusual manner-with someone she loved. He almost forgot that-technically-he was holding her hands. Almost.

            Saki motioned for Nyx to follow her, and she started to fly off.

            “I think I shall go for a drink of Pecha Juice in the Hall,” she said conversationally. “How about you?”

            “I think that would be…” he shot a glance back at the others, “that would be awesome.” He grinned, before heading back to the Temple with the Normal Sage, leaving the trainers-and Pikachu-alone to their moment of happiness.

...  
...  
 

Aura didn’t understand.

            The Lucario was in one of the sleeping halls, the Female Commons. She had chosen an area where she could be as alone as possible, right by one of the openings that served for a window. Moonlight shone down on her, giving her cobalt fur a silver shine.

            “Why did I do that?” Aura asked the moon. “I wanted to…let him…fall. But…I still…I still saved him. What was…I wasn’t even thinking. Why? I…I hate him for what he’s done to me.” She looked at her paw spikes. “Maybe it’s some sort of curse, from me giving my word to Hikari like that….” She sighed. “I just don’t understand anything anymore. Why am I even here? I lost my reason for life three years ago.”

            And her mind changed what she saw in that instant.

            _The rain still fell, bringing pain like millions of pins and needles digging into her. But, this time, she would stand. She would face death fighting, not by lying down until it took her. Thirteen years had not prepared her for a coward’s death. She wanted to go out like a fighter. She’d fought all her life. It was fitting that she’d die in such a manner._

_Struggling, she stood up onto her feet again. She started to sway and stumble again, but she regained her balance and maintained her footing._

_“Not…this…time,” she snarled. “Not this Lucario.”_

_She reached up and touched the top of her head. It had stopped bleeding. It no longer throbbed so much, either. Her headache actually wasn’t so bad anymore._

_She slowly limped off to the north, towards the mountains, a new wave of determination overcoming her earlier despair._

Goodbye _, was all she thought_.

            Aura didn’t even notice when she’d fallen asleep, lost in her memories.


	10. Changes

Ash woke up suddenly. Literally two inches from his nose was the nose of a dozing Shiny Umbreon. Nyx. Ash looked up to see the sleeping face of Nathe. Very close. Not as close as Pikachu who was snuggled against his loving master, but close enough to freak the teen out and cause him to bolt upright, yelling for about four or five seconds.

            “WHAHAHA!” Nyx half-screamed, half-chuckled in response as he jolted awake.

            “WHAZAT?!?” Nathe boomed, waking up every other Pokémon in the Male Common Sleeping Hall. The male Kangaskhan rapidly looked around, before calming down. “Nice, Ash,” he sighed. “Do you want me to wake everyone in the Female Commons, as well as the ones in the Temple’s private rooms as well?”

            “Sorry…” Ash muttered embarrassingly. “I’m just not exactly used to being so close to others while sleeping…particularly large ones.”

            “Thanks,” Nathe said bitterly.

            “Sorry,” Ash repeated.

            “At least it’s not Aura,” Nyx defended the human. “If it had been, she might have attacked some of us before she calmed down, instead of just screaming.”

            “Good point,” Nathe nodded.

            Ash tensed as his stomach growled.

            “ _He has the power of the Normal Element in his grasp, and Ash Ketchum’s greatest love is still his stomach_ ,” Pikachu chuckled.

            Ash glared at him.

...  
...  
 

Aura was thrilled to be leaving, though she didn’t look it. She didn’t like being surrounded by others, particularly strangers.

            Ash was talking to Saki and Nathe, while Sara was talking to Misty and Nyx. Aura was standing alone. She tensed, listening.

            “Keep it wrapped in that cloth,” Saki reminded Ash. “That way, if someone accidentally touches it….”

            “They don’t die,” Ash muttered. “I get it.”

            “It is very important, Ash. You also need to protect it. We are depending on you.”

            “Relax. What could go wrong?”

            Aura grimaced. She knew all too well.

            “The next Shrine is by the East coast, near the Dark Tunnel. Odin is the Sage. He’ll give you his creation after you obtain the Orb…. But, I should warn you. It’s only going to get harder from here on out.”

            “Hey, I’m the Chosen One, right? This Test thing of yours proved that. I’ve got to do this, right?”

            “Wrong,” Saki said quietly. “You are the only one who can do this, yes. That much is true. But, you are by no means under contract or oath to do this. You have a choice; you have free will as much as any other person. You can become what destiny has planned, or you could break away, and walk from this, even now. You always have a choice, Ash. Remember that.”

            “W-will do,” Ash was caught a bit off guard.

            Then, Aura found the sound she thought she’d heard.

            Whum-whum-whum!

            Helicopter blades!

            “Hide!” Aura barked. “Humans!”

            “Wha?” Was all Ash got out, before he and Misty were forced to hide under the overhang of the cliff sides with the Pokémon.

            “No human must know this place even exists, outside of the Chosen One…and a chosen few,” Saki amended with a nod and smile to Misty.

            Aura looked to the sky in wide-eyed fear as a black helicopter flew overhead and out of sight. She didn’t know about the others, but Aura definitely noticed the big, red R on the side.

            “Team Rocket!” Ash confirmed that he saw it, too.

            “PiPikachu!” Pikachu echoed.

            “Giovanni!” Aura snarled. “The bastard!”

            “Who?” Ash asked.

            “He’s…not a fun person to be around.”

            “Shall I assume you’ve met?” Nyx narrowed his eyes.

            “I’ve considered killing him several times, if that’s what you mean. No one really meets Gio. He keeps himself locked away. Acts more like a sixteen-year-old than…” She trailed off.

            “You’ve met Team Rocket?” Ash was shocked.

            “I think I might’ve killed a few…” Aura chuckled darkly. Ash couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. “I wonder why the big boss would be here…unless…oh, God…” She paused. “Unless he somehow caught wind of what’s going on! We got to get going!”

            Aura ran off to the north without another word.

            “How peculiar…” Nyx said to himself.

            “Why would Team Rocket care about me wandering aimlessly…other than the Orbs, which they couldn’t possibly…how could they know?” Ash went off in several tangents.

            “Why would Giovanni-who, according to Aura, seems to be the Boss-come himself?” Misty added.

            “Maybe it’s coincidental.” Nyx offered. “It could just be another Rocket in his copter. I’ve heard of them. They sound like the scum who’d steal their boss’s big ride to instill fear wherever they go.”

            Ash still felt obsessed with the thought of this Giovanni lurking behind him in the shadows. It was like the bogeyman when he was little, only…. There was now a name to the shadows that haunted his dreams. And, he wasn’t sure if he liked it.

...  
...  
 

Giovanni had no idea that Ash Ketchum was in the ravines that his copter was flying over.

            Even if he had, who knew if he would have cared? Dag didn’t think he could, anymore. The Boss had heard a lot about Ash. A lot. The boy was a remarkable trainer, but it seemed like he was being held back from his true potential. Dag had suggested persuading the boy to join. When he had the Boss had asked why.

            “I think you could come up with a good reason or two,” Dag had said softly.

            “No,” was all the Boss would say in the matter.

            In fact, the only _major_ underage member was the Elite Domino. Silver wasn’t even a member. That gave him an idea!

            “I think I know how to get Silver to become more… persuadable to do what you want.”

            “Even…?”

            “Possibly,” Dag shrugged.

            Giovanni remained silent, allowing his bodyguard to speak.

            “Make him an Elite.”

            “He’s not even a member, yet!” Giovanni was shocked at the idea. “The other Rockets could be furious at the idea of serving a neophyte, and a teenage one at that!”

            “Now imagine their fury if he becomes Boss without earning his dues in some way first,” Dag said as diplomatically as he could.  

            “I see your point. I shall think about it.”

            Dag held back a smile. Would Silver be proud of becoming an Elite, if Giovanni did that for him?

            Or, would he only hate his father more for it?

...  
...  
 

Silver was, at that moment, as far from thinking about being an Elite as he could be. He had snuck away from his bodyguards-who really didn’t care, anyway-and ran off to the Viridian Park. He was amongst a few other trainers and their Pokémon, and Fang was joyfully running about him.

            “Focus,” Silver said quietly.

            Surprisingly, the Totodile stopped, and looked at the teen expectantly.

            “Can you use Bite?” He asked.

            Fang grinned, nodding vigorously.

            “Then, try it on this!” And Silver threw a decent-sized stick into the air.

            Fang jumped at it, and Bit it, snapping it cleanly into three pieces. After landing, the Totodile began to hop up and down in pride.

            “Not bad.” Silver smiled slightly. “Try Water Gun.”

            A burst of water jettisoned out of the Pokémon’s mouth, grazing the top of Silver’s head, fraying a few pieces of his hair.

            “Nice,” Silver muttered. “I bet’cha can’t use Bubblebeam!” He challenged.

            Fang smirked bravely, and then unleashed a torrent of bubbles on his trainer, most of them blasting him in the face. Fang gasped, suddenly scared that he had angered or otherwise upset his master. Silver’s face has frozen, expressionless, causing Fang’s fear to build. Then, Silver smiled slightly. Fang blinked, as the teenager started to laugh.

            As fate would have it, a certain blonde, teenage girl was walking silently through the park. Domino stopped when she heard Silver laughing, and turned to find the source of the sound. She stared, wide-eyed and mouth agape, at the sight of Silver not only smiling but also _laughing_. She hadn’t heard him laugh in…a very long time.

            “Ahem,” someone cleared his throat next to her, causing the Elite to jump slightly. “Enjoying the view a bit much, aren’t we?”

            “Mondo,” Domino identified the brown-haired teen out of the corner of her eye. He was in civilian attire (White shirt, gray zip-up hoodie, and jeans), as was she (black shirt and black jeans). Mondo stood about six feet or so, was quite lean and lanky, with his brown hair cut short and spiky by his face. He appeared to be about seventeen, but Domino never really asked, nor did she even care. A crowd of passing girls giggled to themselves, obviously attracted, and he smiled flirtatiously, snapping his fingers to point at them and clicking his tongue.

            “I oughta do this more often,” he mused to himself with a grin. “Life as a Rocket’s tough, particularly for us Grunts. Hell, I’m little more than a runner!”

            “At least all you deal with when you mess up is Viper giving you push-ups or whatever,” Domino scoffed, not taking her eyes off of Silver, who was continuing with training Fang. “Elites have to answer directly to Giovanni.”

            “Yes, but the Boss seems to favor _you_ quite a bit.”

            “I have earned that respect through loyalty and competence, as well as a strong ability to lead and fight.”

            “Rrrright,” Mondo sounded skeptical. “And the fact that you’re currently engaged to his only son doesn’t mean a thing to him.”

            Domino frowned, a feeling a guilt coming over her.

            “That’s not…” she started, but trailed off.

            “Whatever,” Mondo chuckled. “See you at dinner?” He waved, as he walked up towards Silver.

            “Mondo?” Silver noticed him in surprise. “What?” He grabbed Fang. “This…this isn’t…this isn’t what it…looks…” Silver stammered, struggling to keep a hold on the fidgeting Tododile.

            “Relax, Silver,” Mondo reassured him. “I won’t tell your father. I promise.”

            “The word of a Rocket loses its value before it’s even uttered,” Silver glared darkly at him, his voice low as an assassin’s.

            “Domino wasn’t there when…when _he_ killed…” Mondo cleared his throat. “But I was, _remember_?”

            Silver paused. He did remember. In a turnabout way, the teen supposed he probably owed Mondo his life.

            “I guess.”

            “I won’t tell Giovanni. I promise,” Mondo repeated.

            Silver looked at him, uncertain.

            “I remember how you reacted to the last friend you lost,” Mondo couldn’t look Silver in the eyes. “I remember the way you…lost it when she died. You must’ve truly loved her.”

            “I…” Silver trailed off. “I won’t let anyone hurt Fang!” He challenged in a soft voice.

            _He can’t have had that thing long,_ Mondo thought to himself, _and he’s already named it. Damn it, why does he go and dig such deep holes for himself?_

            “I promise, Silver,” Mondo said a third time. “I’m your friend, too.”

            Silver simply stared at him.

            “I don’t want you to become your father, either,” Mondo muttered, and walked away.

            Silver watched, uncertain exactly what to think-or how to feel.

...  
...  
 

“Why did you run off like that?” Nyx asked Aura at dinner that night. They were less than a day’s walk from Lavender Town. None of them were quite sure why they were able to make such good time. Perhaps fate was on their side.

            Either way, Aura knew better than to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth.

            “I don’t particularly like Team Rocket,” Aura muttered. “The idea of them following us…doesn’t exactly have a favored place in my heart.”

            “What heart?” Ash chuckled, earning a glare from everyone in camp. “Just a joke…”

            “Any specific reasons you hate them?” Misty asked, suddenly curious.

            “Other than that they’ve destroyed my life?” Aura snarled. “No, no reason at all to hate the bastards.”

            “How did they destroy your life?” Misty asked. Ash reached out to stop her, but too late, and he grabbed her arm for no real reason, causing them both to blush.

            “I haven’t seen my mother since…I was a hatchling,” Aura eventually admitted in barely a whisper.

            “How old are you?” Misty asked.

            Aura hesitated.

            “How old are _you_?” The Lucario asked Ash in the calmest voice she had used with him since they met.

            “Sixteen…and about a month.” He estimated. “Why?”

            “Then, I think I’m about the same, maybe a few months older,” Aura was still her strange, still, calm mood. “At least, I think Azar said you were about my age.”

            “Hmm, and yet you matured like a human.” Nyx mused.

            “No,” Aura shook her head. “I grew up within months.”

            “Why?”

            “I had my…family to take care of.”

            No one could tell if she was telling the truth to any degree.

            “Where did you live?” Ash asked.

            “Hell.”

            _Wait a minute…_

            “But, what do you care?” Aura frowned. “My life is my business, and it doesn’t affect you. Leave me alone.” And she leapt into a nearby tree, out of reach and sight of the humans without another word.

            Ash grimaced.

            “Darn.”

            “Patience, Ash,” Nyx chuckled. “Empires are not conquered in a single battle, nor are they so liberated.”

            “Seriously,” Ash teased. “Have you _ever_ talked to someone that wasn’t a Sage?”

            “Have _you_ ever actually read a _book_ that was more than five pages long?” Nyx retorted instantly. Ash blinked in shock.

            “I’m with him,” Misty pointed at the Umbreon, chuckling.

            “I read!” Ash snapped. “You just don’t know _when_!”

            “ _Or_ what _…_ ” Pikachu giggled to himself, trailing off on purpose.

            Nyx twitched uncomfortably. Misty chortled and choked, trying to hold back an uncontrollable burst of laughter that she knew would turn to an unending fit of giggles. Ash stared at Pikachu, horrified. All three had come to the same conclusion.

            “ _PIKACHU!_ ” Ash breathed in shock. “I…you…that’s not…”

            Misty finally calmed down enough to find her voice.

            “Has Ash been reading one of those romance novels all our mothers hide under their beds?” Misty teased, narrowing her eyes, grinning wickedly at her best friend.

            “Th-that’s not…!” Ash stammered. “I’m not reading…who would…I’d never….” He continued stammering. “If you…I’ll…I’ll…!”

            “You’ll what?” Nyx asked, smiling.

            “We already know you can’t finish a sentence,” Misty nodded. “What are you going to threaten us with, then?” After a pause, she added. “You couldn’t threaten a toddler!”

            Ash felt challenged.

            “I’ve threatened hardened _adults_!” He barked, taking a step towards her.

            “I doubt that!” She exclaimed, taking a step towards him.

            “Yeah, and they were those big shots from Team Galactic in Sinnoh!”

            “Maybe a newbie who couldn’t tell a stubborn _kid_ from a tough _man_!”

            “Are you saying I’m not a man?”

            “I’m certainly not claiming you as a _woman_!”

            “What the-?” Ash started.

            “All righty, then, you two,” Nyx yawned suddenly. “I’m going to bed. Be sure to keep your little love spat down so I can sleep, ‘kay?”

            Pikachu chuckled.

            “Love spat?” Ash scoffed, looked at the electric mouse, annoyed. He glanced at Misty again, and lost all annoyance. Not to mention, he lost all other emotions besides a bit of shock…and a little wonder.

            He hadn’t noticed that, during their stare-down, they had come…quite close to one another, their noses almost touching. They were close enough to….

            Ash quickly backed away, turning to hide his reddening face.

            In her tree, Aura shook her head, and turned away, closing her eyes to sleep.

...  
...  
 

Jerzy was about sick of this.

            Only _they_ could seek him out. Granted, his years since leaving their Order gave him the knowledge, experience and self-training gave him the ability to sense them in time to avoid being seen.

            But, that wasn’t the point.

            It was the Order that had donned him in his mask and cloak. Perhaps part of him missed the simple life they had offered, and given, him for over five years. Perhaps that was why he never ditched his attire.

            Or maybe, the change was simply not a high priority in his mind.

            And, still, here he was, hiding in a Noctowl’s nest, praying it didn’t come home anytime soon. He allowed himself a peek out down into the forest.

            A small, cloaked figure was wandering about. He couldn’t tell its species from his height. Jerzy went back into the tree hollow. He grimaced, almost pouting, and crossed his front paws.

            _There is no way this could get worse_ …

...  
...  
 

            _There is no way in hell that this could get worse_ …

            Aura was extremely pissed off.

            There were three things she hated in her world: humans in general, Ash Ketchum in particular, and Team Rocket with a passion.

            And today had already had the first in abundance, the second would be unavoidable for a while now, and the third….

            She could only pray.

            “Whadaya think?”

            Misty had come out of the store’s dressing room. Aura glanced at her briefly, appearing to be uninterested. The teenager was wearing a yellow, zip-up hoodie over a dark blue T-shirt. The jean shorts she was trying on were a little longer than the ones she was used to wearing, coming to just about two inches above her knees. Her tennis shoes were a clean, brand-new white, and her hair was pulled back in her trademark side ponytail.

            “Take the ponytail down,” Aura said in a monotone voice, not looking her in the eye. The words were hardly out of the Lucario’s mouth, when she turned and walked straight out into the mall. Misty grinned to herself, understanding exactly what Aura had truly meant, and took the ponytail down.

            Nyx, on the other hand, was down in the other end of the mall, at a guys’ clothing store, waiting with Pikachu as Ash finished his purchases. He was now donning new attire: black T-shirt under a black and electric blue jacket, and full-length blue jeans. His new shoes were a dark black, with electric blue markings on them. He reached into his new, black-and-green pack and took out the one thing that wasn’t new. In fact, it seemed…so old to him now. It was the same hat that he had worn when he first started out on his journey. He smiled, lost in memory for just a moment, before placing it on his head.

            “ _Oh_ , no, you don’t!” A voice barked out.

            Before Ash could react the Lucario had snatched the hat clean off of his head.

            “What the hell?” Ash tried to grab it back. “Aura!”

            “No!” She said in a harsh whisper, ignoring a concerned parent shuffling their kid along quickly nearby. “No kinds of identifying traits from our pasts! None!”

            “So that’s why you ditched your cloak thing for that jacket?” Ash asked.

            Aura was no longer wearing her old cloak-Misty was keeping it in her pack for her…somehow-but a black leather jacket. She still wore the slightly bloodstained pearl necklace, however. Ash narrowed his eyes at it.

            Was it just him or did….

            “Misty!” Nyx grinned, as the Water Trainer caught up to them.

            “Pikachupi!” Pikachu echoed in a similar tone.

            “So, why are we doing this?” Ash asked Aura.

            “Besides the fact that we always have a new traveling outfit for every new journey you start nowadays?” Misty said just within Ash’s hearing range. He wasn’t sure whether to chuckle or grimace.

            Aura didn’t speak.

            “Aura?” Misty nudged her gently.

            “The last thing we need is Team Rocket identifying us. And, if they are already tailing us, this might throw them off for just a bit. I mean, the bastards are annoying as hell and…”

            SSSSSSCHMMMMMSSSSSSS! The sound of shattering glass announced the arrival of the most ironic trio possible.

            “And, God loves to mock me,” Aura snarled in a low voice.

            “Pi-Pikachu!” Pikachu echoed her tone.

            “Haha!” One of them, a man of his early or mid-twenties with short-cut purple-ish blue hair, laughed as the Rocket trio jumped in through the large, shattered window.

            “Team Rocket!” Ash and Misty barked in unison.

            “Well, they don’t look threatening,” Nyx observed.

            “Yeah, well, they’re more annoying than anything, usually,” Ash shrugged.

            “The man is James, and the woman with the long red hair is Jessie,” Misty filled the Umbreon in. “They also have a….”

            “RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARGH!” Aura bellowed as she charged them.

            “Prepare for-!”

            “Oh, _shut up_!” Aura skidded to a halt right in front of them. “No one cares!”

            “Such an attitude…” Jessie sighed. “Kids these days….”

            “Even the Pokémon don’t respect the real baddies anymore,” James nodded in agreement, causing the Lucario to grimace in annoyance.

            “Uh, Jimmy,” Meowth gasped. “Does she look familiar to you?”

            “You can call me Death,” Aura snarled. “Cause you’ll be meeting him soon…in Hell!” And she took a swipe with her right paw spike.

            “ _She’s always thinking with her spikes_ ,” Pikachu muttered, shaking his head.

            “You wanna fight, little punk?” Jessie snarled. “Well, you better…prepare for trouble!”

            Aura rolled her eyes.

            “And, make it double!” James chimed in.

            “So typical,” the Lucario growled.

            “To protect the world from devastation!”

            “To unite all peoples within our nation!”

            “To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

            “To extend our reach to the stars above!”

            “I’m gonna have to listen to this whole freaking thing, aren’t I?” Aura interrupted.

            “Jessie!”

            “James!”

            “That’s a yes.”

            “Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!”

            “Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

            “Oh, you can count on-!”

            “That’s right!” Meowth meowed from behind the Lucario.

            “Stay out of this, you collar-licking, leash-wearing traitor!” Aura spun around with a roundhouse kick, hitting the cat Pokémon right in the gut.

            “Oof!”

            “I have a message for you underlings to take straight to Giovanni!” Aura roared. “The Shadow Beast of the Mountain has sworn to protect the Chosen One. Any who cross my path _won’t_ be doing it again.”

            “Shadow Beast?” James repeated.

            “Ah, who cares about the twerp?” Jessie didn’t catch the hint. “We just want the Pikachu.”

            “Why?” Aura narrowed her eyes.

            “It’s special,” James grinned greedily. “Has a huge power potential. Boss wants this one in particular.”

            Aura glanced back at the electric mouse by the hesitating teens.

            “I knew it!” She breathed.

            “Knew what?” Jessie blinked.

            “ _Have_ we met?” James asked, almost innocently, leaning towards the Lucario, not seeing the danger he’d just put himself in.

            “Hmm,” Aura feigned deep thought, then kicked straight up, getting James on the underside of his jaw, knocking him back and onto the ground with a thump! “I may have kicked your ass before. I can’t remember. And frankly, I don’t care. Because I’m going to today!”

            “Looks like the twerp finally made a friend who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty,” Jessie mused. She selected a Pokéball from her belt.

            “Back off!” She snarled. “I’ve got dibs on the…twerp, as you put it. That includes putting him through _any_ kind of suffering.”

            “You’d have every opportunity if you joined us,” Jessie’s mind started working overtime. “Whadaya say?”

            A bomb went off within Aura.

            “ _NEVER_!” She roared. “I’d rather die!”

            “Go! Seviper!”

            “Seeeeviper!” The Rocket’s snake Pokémon hissed in challenge.

            “Poison?” Aura scoffed. “How typical.”

            “Poison Tail!”

            Aura leapt in a back flip, avoiding the attack just in time.

            “Again!”

            Aura rolled to the side, but got a slight scrape on her right upper arm.

            “Ngh!” She moaned from the burning poison entering the wound.

            “Sealeo!” Misty shouted, sending out the Ice Pokémon. “Aurora Beam!”

            The beam shot out, grazing Aura’s wound, and hit the Seviper right in the eyes.

            “Viiii!” The Seviper hissed in confusion as ice blotted out its eyesight-if only temporarily.

            Aura tapped the frosty fur on her right arm.

            “Did you do that on purpose?”

            _No, actually_.

            “Yeah, did it work?”

            “It seems to have numbed it enough that I can use my arm.” _For now_ , Aura added to herself. She paused. “Thanks,” she said in a soft voice.

            “C’mon, Pikachu, let’s…” Ash started to urge his friend.

            “No, Ash,” Nyx cut him off. Then, in a voice that only he could hear, he went on. “Let Misty and Aura work together on this.”

            “Huh?”

            “Trust me,” the Shiny Umbreon muttered. “I have a theory….”

            “Alright, then…”

            “Seviper!” Jessie yelled.

            “No, you don’t!” Aura kicked up. Just like with James, she hit the snake’s lower jaw, sending it flying right into its trainer, causing them both to fall out of the window.

            It was at about this time that James himself recovered from Aura’s earlier attack.

            “Jessie!” He yelled out in concern for his partner. “Go! Carnivine!”

            However, instead of attacking, the plant Pokémon secured his trainer in an inescapable hug.

            “No! No, no, no!” James shrieked. “Attack them!”

            “VINE!” The Carnivine simply cheered, hugging tighter.

            “Go!” James struggled to get his other Pokéball out.

            “Mime!” A Mime Jr. appeared in a jolt of red light.

            “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Aura chuckled.

            “Go! Feebas!” Misty yelled, as she recalled her Sealeo.

            “Feeee!” The strange, yellow fish Pokémon yelled a battle cry.

            “I know that Mime Jr. isn’t exactly a challenge, but seriously?” Aura shook her head. “A Magikarp look-alike?”

            “Feebas is a very special Pokémon I’m training to use in my Gym,” Misty explained.

            “Special?” Ash asked. “Where’d you get it?”

            “…A friend,” Misty hesitated.

            “Irrelevant!” Aura barked. “Let’s get on with it!” She charged the Mime Jr. She chased it about the abandoned mall area, with it running about in fear.

            “Water Pulse!” Misty shouted.

            The Mime Jr. jumped just in time, putting Aura between it and Misty’s Feebas, causing her attack to hit only the Lucario, soaking her pelt instantly.

            “Thanks,” she muttered bitterly.

            “Sorry!” Misty shouted.

            James ran right up towards the two Pokémon, simply concerned for the Mime Jr.’s health. However, Aura still moved slightly, preparing to attack.

            “Ice Beam!” Misty acted faster.

            “Huh?” James looked just in time to see the attack hit his lower body, freezing his legs to the floor.

            “I had it handled!” Aura frowned.

            “You’re welcome!” Misty chuckled.

            “Now to end it!”

            “Watch out!” Misty’s cry caught Aura off guard. “DRAGONBREATH!”

            A powerful, greenish beam shot out of the Feebas’s mouth, hitting both James and Mime Jr., sending them flying out the window, where Jessie had gone earlier.

            “ _Not_ a Magikarp!” Aura breathed, almost grinning. “Nice.”

            “I think…I’ll just go…” Meowth tried to walk away.

            “Oh, no, you don’t!” She ran back to her pack-which was with Misty-and took out a baseball bat she’d packed when they’d first left. She started to charge the Meowth, gaining speed and closing the gap fast. “And here’s the windup…and the pitch!” When she’d caught up, she swung the bat with all her might, getting the cat Pokémon right across the back, sending him blasting off through the window, much further and faster than either of his two human partners. “Home run,” Aura gave a half-smile, staring out the window.

            “You cracked that thing in half!” Nyx gasped in shock.

            Aura glanced at the bat in her right paw. About half of it was hanging, attached only by a few splinters. She had never heard the cracking noise but…there was her proof.

            “Meowth will be feeling that tomorrow,” Ash chuckled nervously.

            “I think he’s feeling it _now_ ,” Aura gave him an almost evil grin. “I can guarantee that he won’t be lying down for a few weeks. That should keep those creeps away for a while.”

            “Oh, my,” Nyx staggered, and fell to the ground, passed out.

...  
...  
 

“What now?” Professor Oak was surprised.

            “I said,” Ash repeated himself, “they fought them off with only three attacks!”

            “They?” Oak caught a change. “You told me that Misty and her new Feebas were the only attackers.”

            “Uh,” Ash stammered, caught in the lie. He glanced back at his friends.

            They were in a Pokémon Center, with Ash on the videophone. Nurse Joy was trying to bandage Aura’s arm, but the still semi-feral Lucario kept swiping at her, refusing to let a human touch her.

            “Come on, now,” the good Nurse tried to soothe her and calm her down. “Just relax, it won’t hurt a bit.”

            “Don’t touch me!” Aura stepped back, taking another swipe with her left paw. She was too smart to use her right: the Nurse could grab it, and force her to accept treatment.

            “I have to clean and dress that!” the Nurse exasperated. “It could get infected, or the poison could still spread or….”

            “No.” Aura said in a firm voice. “No one heals my wounds but me.” The Nurse took yet another step. “And no _human_ will _touch_ me!” Aura snarled.

            “You said feral?” the Nurse asked Misty.

            “Just about.”

            “Abandoned?”

            “Not sure. And she’s not talking.”

            “Damn straight,” Aura frowned. “Get away!”

            “Aura, why don’t you let me fix your jacket?” Misty changed the subject. “There’s a rip there, in the sleeve.”

            Taken aback in the sudden twist in tactics, Aura slid out of her leather jacket, and wordlessly handed it to the Water Trainer.

            “Well, heh,” Ash chuckled nervously. “Let’s just say that we had some help, but not any other…attacks…per se.”

            “I see,” Oak mused.

            “Aura, I owe you my life,” Misty said calmly, showing no signs of hostility, or advancement towards the Lucario. “Let me start to repay you, in this small way; let me heal your wound.”

            Aura frowned in a mix of confusion and what appeared to be sadness. She sighed and looked away, but neither spoke nor moved. Misty cautiously took a step. Aura didn’t react, and she didn’t even seem to notice. Misty hesitated, before gently grasping Aura’s right arm. Aura’s eyes moved, gazing at the trainer, watching, but other than that, she made no move towards the teen. Misty took the wet cloth from Nurse Joy.

            “It appears that Misty has tamed that feisty Lucario,” Oak smiled, noticing what had been going on in the background.

            “Hmm?” Ash turned slightly from the screen to see what Oak was talking about. His eyes went wide in shock and fear.

            Misty gently placed the cloth on the open wound. It stung somewhat, and Aura hissed in a sudden inhale, and started to pull her arm away instinctively.

            To Ash, however, the act appeared to be more aggressive than simply out of pain.

            “Misty!” Ash ran over to her side, startling Aura.

            The spell-like trance that had been keeping the Lucario calm had broken. Aura pulled her arm out of Misty’s grasp.

            _Human!_ She thought, anger building. _He’s going to attack me._ This _one wants to help me, and_ he _wants me dead_? Aura felt confusion, misunderstanding the circumstances entirely. Feeling threatened, Aura turned sharply and ran out the automatic door of the Center, and out of sight.

            “Good going, Ash,” Misty grimaced. “I almost had it.”

            “She looked like….” Ash started to defend his actions.

            “She’s not going to kill _either_ of us, Ash,” Misty snapped. “She’s actually more afraid of _us_. We have to be patient, and _trust_ her.” Misty started to head out the door. “I’ll be back.” And she was gone, chasing after the Lucario.

            “Misty,” Ash breathed to himself, concerned for his best friend.

            “She’s right, you know,” Nyx grinned, as usual.

            “So, what’s going on?” Oak’s voice reminded Ash that he was still on the phone.

            “We have some new…traveling partners. One of them is a Lucario without a trainer. She’s…a little…testy.”

            “Testy?” Oak hinted towards an explanation.

            “She’s mistrusting, and aggressive. She’s kinda like an injured predator, you know? Snaps at everything, just to protect its pride?” For some reason, the last part came out like a question.

            “Sound to me like she’s been betrayed, and doesn’t want it to happen again. I saw how she reacted with Misty before you stepped in. She seems…”

            “Distancing?” Nyx supplied.

            “Sure,” Oak smiled then blinked as sight of a Shiny Umbreon registered in his mind.

            “I’ve been working on a theory for her past,” Nyx continued, not noticing. “Either she was abandoned by a trainer, or she ran away from an abusive mate. That’s what I’ve got so far.”

            “Or, maybe her parents got sick of her and chased her off,” Ash muttered to himself. _That Lucario has caused a new tension between Misty and me. I don’t like it._

            “Is this Umbreon…talking to me?” Oak finally found his voice. “And, it has blue markings, instead of yellow!”

            “Why, yes!” Nyx grinned even more profoundly. “I _am_ a Shiny, thank you.”

            “What?” A new voice came from Oak’s. “Gramps, did you say ‘Shiny?’ What Shine…?” And a very surprised Gary Oak appeared right beside his grandfather. “Is that a Shiny Umbreon? Ash, I didn’t know you even had an _Eevee_!”

            “He’s not…” Ash started.

            “I don’t have a trainer,” Nyx said calmly. “I follow Ash and the others out of free will. I am Nyx, apprentice and aid to the Night Sage.”

            “The Night Sage?” Gary asked, causing Nyx to tense. “What…who’s the Night Sage?”

            “Uh…someone I didn’t just tell you about…” Nyx hesitated. “It’s…a secret…and… er….” _Oh, my mother would_ kill _me_ …. Nyx was very happy-as he felt his face’s temperature rise-that Umbreon couldn’t really blush. At least, not very visibly.

            “Well, in any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Nyx,” Oak smiled.

            Gary stared.

            “I’m Professor Oak and this is Gary, my grandson.”

            Gary turned and ran, gone just as quickly as he had appeared.

            “What’s _his_ problem?” Ash asked.

            “He’s been acting like this for a while now,” Oak shrugged. “About a few weeks ago, he started running off at the strangest times. He also locks himself in his room or in the library for hours on end.”

            “Well, there’s plenty of reasons he could have for doing that,” Ash chuckled darkly.

            “He also seems to be upset with me,” Oak said quietly. “I don’t know why, but he seems very short-tempered whenever he’s around me. Do you think this could have anything to do with his sister?”

            “Well, I know _I_ haven’t seen or heard from her since we were little, but…”

            “Sasha came home last week.”

            “Really?” Ash was taken aback.

            “She’s been spending a lot of time at your mom’s.”

            Ash didn’t doubt that; his mom had helped her a lot when the Oaks-the Professor’s son and daughter-in-law, that is-died in some horrible car crash somewhere between Pallet and Viridian.

            “Didn’t you have a crush on her when you were little?” Oak smiled.

            “I was so immature then,” Ash tried to weasel his way out of it.

            “ _As opposed to now?_ ” Pikachu grinned.

            “Funny,” Ash muttered bitterly.

            “I thought I should warn you,” Oak grinned. “You know the crazy ideas those two get.”

            “Huh,” Ash scoffed. “My mom’s ideas have a way of getting me in trouble,” Ash smiled slightly.

            There was a brief silence.

            “Have I ever told you how much you remind me of your father?” Oak asked.

            “M-my father? You knew him?”

            “Gyles was always getting himself into trouble, true, but put him and your mother together when they were about your age, and…” Oak trailed off chuckling. “She’d get him into the worst dilemmas…but I guess they always worked together to get through it. They were quite a pair.”

            “What were they like…before…uh…” Ash trailed off.

            “Before they became a couple?” Oak asked. “I don’t have much memory of that; most of their friendship beforehand happened away from Pallet. Though I do remember Gyles went against his mother’s wishes to come to here to visit her…and to take my classes, of course.”

            “Grandmother didn’t like…Mom?” This was the first Ash had heard of it.

            “Delia certainly never got along with her mother-in-law,” Oak said gravely. “That is one thing I can guarantee you.”

            “So, you don’t really know much about them, do you?” Ash realized that, though he knew a little bit about his father, the late Gyles Ketchum was pretty much a stranger, apart from siring him.

            “I only really became his friend for a year before your mother and he became…a…shall I say…item. And, after that, he was mostly your mother’s boyfriend-and later, husband-to me.”

            Ash couldn’t decide how truthful Oak was being.

            “From, what I do know…I would have to compare their pre-romantic relationship with…”

            “With…?” Ash urged.

            “Now, Ash,” Oak hesitated. “It’s only my opinion. I don’t want to offend you…”

            “S’okay,” Ash muttered, wishing the old man would stop beating about the bush already.

            “I would have to compare to the friendship I see between…you and…Misty.”

            Ash grimaced, but for some strange reason, he couldn’t find his voice to retort.

...  
...  
 

“What do you want?” Aura snarled. “Go away.”

            “He didn’t know,” Misty slowly took a step towards Aura. “He misunderstood. He didn’t mean to scare-or hurt-you.”

            Misty had found Aura sulking in an alleyway. The Lucario was sitting on a crate, which appeared to be long abandoned.

            “Aura…”

            “Did I ever tell you what happened, many years ago, right here in Lavender Town?”

            Misty sat down on a small crate, a few feet across from where Aura was. Aura didn’t move her gaze from the concrete floor below her.

            “Years ago, before we were born, there was a beautiful sanctuary, known as the Lavender Valley, where the namesake plant’s fragrance created a perfect mellow mood for its inhabitants. Many Pokémon lived in the Valley, with a small village of less than ten people on the Valley’s edge. These villagers lived in peace with the Pokémon, and they helped each other, so that they were each dependant only upon each other, with no travel or trade to other towns or to cities. These people lived in peace, under the guidance of a wise elder, and under the strength of their only warrior, a youthful male.

            “When the warrior was somewhere between sixteen and nineteen, evil had come to the Valley. A teenage gangster from a distant city came, with her ragtag horde of villains, humans and their enslaved Pokémon. She saw the Valley, not as the paradise it was, but as a possible home for her…tribe.” Aura searched for a word that wouldn’t insult Misty. “She led an attack on the Valley within hours of sighting it. Dozens were killed in mere minutes, and the western side of the Valley was ablaze. They had had no warning.

            “But the Valley wasn’t going to be wiped out without a fight.” Aura looked up, gazing Misty in the eye, her voice dripping with anger and passion. “The warrior, on the back of his gallant Rapidash, led the charge to fight the villains back. The Valley burned from the enemy’s fire…and the flame of the peaceful Charmander, Growlithe, and Vulpix that lived in the Valley like their ancestors had done for thousands of years. Poison filled the air, and the warrior knew…even if they won the battle, the war, the Valley was lost. In the end, they managed to finally chase off the villains, whose supplies had run out. Yet, hundreds of Pokémon lives were lost, including the warrior’s Rapidash. And, on that day, the warrior declared that the town would build a tower to house the graves of all those who had died to keep evil off their lands.”

            “The Tower on the edge of Lavender Town?” Misty gasped.

            “The same,” Aura nodded. “The Valley had been scorched beyond…recognition. Those Pokémon that had survived fled from it, minus a very small few. And, within a year, more peaceful–and more powerful–humans came. Thus began the construction of a new Town, which would be named Lavender after the legend whispered amongst the locals. And so, we stand on hallowed ground…and these people know nothing of it…of the lives _lost_ here, so long ago.” Aura looked up to the sky. “Some say that the warrior still lives in secret, here in Lavender, and hangs his head in shame every day, shame that those deaths were, in essence, in vain.”

            “This town should have never been built,” Misty muttered.

            “In this, we are in agreement,” Aura looked at her. “Humans only bring destruction when they seek supremacy. I no longer believe that our two kinds can live in true peace, ever again.”

            “Aura,” Misty started.

            “Our peoples will never be friends again,” Aura frowned sadly. “That alliance died a long time ago.”

            “ _We_ can be friends,” Misty reached out, and grabbed her arm. “Let me finish healing you.”

            Her anger all spent, Aura didn’t move, nor protest, as Misty cleaned the wound and promptly wrapped a white, cloth bandage around it. 

...  
...  
 

Misty sat on the top bunk of the bed, sewing the ripped leather back together with extreme caution. Aura sat on a chair near the window, glancing back and forth from the moon, and Misty’s sewing. The Lucario felt…something strange. There wasn’t as much hostility in her mood at the moment. She didn’t mind-quite so much-that the human would occasionally say something to her. In fact, she found herself answering, and keeping a slight conversation going. She rubbed her arm, just below the white bandage that had been wrapped around and tied off. She wondered when she could take it off permanently.

            “Maybe a week,” Misty shrugged. “You can ask Nurse Joy in the morning.”

            Aura frowned.

            “You can trust Nurse Joy,” Misty fought back a chuckle. “She makes her _living_ helping Pokémon. She’s not going to hurt you.”

            “Mmm,” Aura shook her head.

            “Trust us,” Misty pleaded.

            “If there is one thing I have learned in my sixteen years,” Aura muttered darkly, “it is that trusting a human leads only to pain, suffering, and-ultimately-death.”

            “Do you trust me?” Misty asked softly.

            Aura glared out at the moon. She stole a brief glance at Nyx, who was sleeping soundlessly under the bottom bunk, his entire pelt radiating a soft blue light, like some sort of nightlight.

            “For now,” Aura eventually muttered.

            And, in his bottom bunk, Ash snored on. He was totally unaware of the conversation, lost in his dreams.


	11. Puzzlements

The Sage of the Fighting Element was patient. During the past decade, since he had first taken the position, he had hardened, both in work and in demeanor. He sat deep in the Temple, meditating in pure silence and solitude. His eyes were lightly shut, which was somewhat pointless, as the only light came from the Orb in the Shrine before him, barely even reaching his face.

            The Lucario sighed, the sound echoing about him. Odin had been raised since he was born seventeen–almost eighteen–years before to be the next Sage, to be the best in the ancient art of Struggle. And he had, never surrendering in any fight, even when his opponent was clearly larger, stronger, and more experienced than he was. In fact, he had lost consciousness many times as a Riolu. But, after a while, he became better, and smarter, than any of them. And now…he could take on any opponent, even multiple ones, and still come out on top. He had become a much respected Sage amongst the others, even the older ones, but his cold demeanor made his company…rather unpleasant.

            Odin stood up, and left the Shrine without a single sound. He made his way to his private quarters, where he had his own forge. It was strange for a Fighting Sage to take up blacksmithing; that was usually a trait of the Steel Sage. Odin picked up his hammer and tongs, and began to work. As sparks flew, his eyes moved to a metallic glove on his shelf, next to his other creations.

            The Chosen One was coming. He would need Odin’s help. The Lucario knew this. But, he didn’t know when he would arrive. Another shower of sparks flew up, lighting up his world.

            It didn’t matter.

            Odin, the great Sage of Struggle, was patient.

...  
...  
 

“Milady!” A Dragonair burst into the room, yelling frantically.

            The huge, stone–walled, castle room was lavishly decorated, with warm, scented candles burning in their gold and platinum holders, drapes and curtains of all colors, and all styles and sizes of pillows placed in comfortable places. The Dragonair gasped at the sight of a Salamence, Raikou, Latios, and Rayquaza in Hikari’s Private Conference Quarters.

            The Salamence noticed her first, lying across three, blue satin pillows, his forelegs crossed in a casual manner, his head perked with amusement and interest.

            “Hello, Khas,” The Salamence chuckled.

            “Khasandra?” A silhouette behind a large curtain asked. Hikari!

            “Ryuu,” Khas gasped. “Great Lady Hikari,” she turned towards the silhouette. “I know you’ve told us to never interrupt a conference…but the Seers insisted I take this news to you immediately.”

            “Yes, Khasandra?” Hikari’s gentle, feminine voice remained calm and tolerant.

            “They have Seen the coming of the Chosen One!”

            Latios and the Salamence–Ryuu, his name was–weren’t at all surprised, but Raikou sat up suddenly, growling in shock. Rayquaza smiled.

            “ _I knew it!_ ” the green Dragon Pokémon chuckled. “ _I knew that boy was special! I_ knew _that he was the Chosen!_ ”

            “ _I have heard of him, from my cousin in Altomare._ ” The Latios barely muttered, uninterested. He’d rather be flying about, than trapped in such a confiding space.

            “ _The Lord Ho–oh never revealed his coming with me, in either public or private discussion._ ” Raikou was in shock. “ _Nor has he conversed with either of my brothers about such._ ” The Electric Legendary felt betrayed and left out.

            “Indeed, I am well past aware of this,” Hikari said in a soft tone. “The Seers still forget that, as a well–seasoned Sage, I am in perfect tune with the Light Orb, even away from the Shrine, and even from the Keep and the Temple. I have known, since about a week past that the Chosen had accepted his destiny.”

            “Does he really bear the Mark?” Ryuu inquired.

            “One can’t truly decide until one is in the Chosen’s presence,” Hikari paused. “However, I have reason to believe that this young lad bears the Mark of old.”

            “Of old?” Khas repeated.

            “Legend has it,” Ryuu started, “that the Chosen One was first seen coming by an ancient Sage whose power was greater than…than even Hikari could comprehend. And, through time, by means of two ends of a bloodline, he placed his Marks, so that when they came together, when the two bloodlines met and joined, the first born would bear the mixed Mark, the whole Mark, and have the powers granted to him that he would need to face his destiny.”

            “That is not all of the legend, of course,” Hikari chuckled. “And the Chosen One has picked up other Marks along the way. But, the ancient Sage was wise, and even as he lay dying, he used his power and understanding of the Light Orb to secure our future, even though it was so distant from his time.”

            “And…who was this Sage?” Khas hesitated.

            “He was the one who survived the longest after undergoing the mythical Final Evolution,” Hikari whispered. “His name was Hikaru…and I am named in his honor.”

...  
...  
 

Ash woke to the feel of some sort of liquid dripping on his face. He blinked his eyes open to see Aura flicking water at his nose. The Lucario, instead of being amused at her cruel prank, actually seemed somewhat annoyed, as if she had been doing this for a while, and it was just now having the desired effect.

            “Wake up, Mr. Chosen One,” the Lucario sneered, twirling her lance–spear in her right paw. “It’s time to get going.”

            Ash sat up in his sleeping bag, rubbing his eyes.

            “You, too, Waterflower,” Aura nodded at Misty, before she turned and walked straight out of camp.

            “Why do you get a name?” Ash groaned, stretching.

            “Dunno,” Misty shrugged, her voice low.

            “Ever since we left Lavender Town yesterday, she’s been even more difficult than normal,” Ash muttered as they packed up camp.

            “At least she acknowledges you,” Nyx sighed. “She hasn’t spoken to me for _days_!”

            Misty grinned.

            “NYX!” Aura’s voice bellowed from out of the view from camp.

            “Ha!” Nyx barked with triumph. “I have a name!”

            He dashed out towards the sound of Aura’s voice.

            “Aura!” Nyx shouted happily as he caught up to where she stood, looking out at the world before them. He stopped suddenly, when he found the tip of her lance–spear pointed directly at his nose. “Uh, Aura?”

            “You know where the next Temple is.” It wasn’t really a question.

            “Uh, not really…” Nyx started. Then, under Aura’s glare, he went on. “But, I think I have a vague idea. Surely, if we go that way, we’ll eventually run into one of their patrols, like at the Support Temple.”

            “Hmm,” Aura considered it, and then nodded once.

            “But, shouldn’t we ask Ash about this? I mean, he _is_ …”

            “A human,” Aura cut him off. “I refuse to let a _human_ decide where we go.”

            “He’s not evil,” Nyx defended Ash. “He’s not going to kill you in your sleep.”

            “That’s not why I’m watching him,” Aura growled ominously. “Which way?”

            “Um,” Nyx looked around. “Dark Tunnel is that way,” He pointed. “Let’s go in that direction…but _over_ the mountain instead of _through_ it.”

            Aura hesitated. Climbing over those mountains wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind. This whole quest was going to take much longer than she’d initially thought.

            “I…I guess…”

            “You guess what?” Misty asked, as she, Ash, and Pikachu joined Aura and Nyx.

            “We’re gonna go over those mountains, until we find the next Temple,” Aura pointed towards the north.

            Ash grimaced.

            “What?” Aura narrowed her eyes. “Are you afraid of a little hike over a few mountains?”

            Nyx gave Aura a strange look.

            “I’m not afraid!” Ash became defensive.

            “Then let’s go!” Aura twirled her lance–spear once more, and then set off in the direction of the mountain.

            “Why don’t we just take the Tunnel?” Misty asked Nyx.

            “The Tunnel is a human’s path,” the Shiny Umbreon explained. “The Temple we are trying to find is a place where only Pokémon are allowed–usually. So, they wouldn’t stray too far into places humans are typically found, not while the Pokémon of the Temple are on a patrol, right? So, if we go a way that humans usually don’t, we might find them.

            “ _Hopefully_ ,” Nyx added under his breath.

...  
...  
 

_God, I miss_ my _mountain,_ Aura thought bitterly to herself, as she pulled herself over the edge of another cliff in the side of yet another mountain. _My mountain wasn’t as jagged or rough, and it had those lush, green forests filled with prey._

            Aura froze to the sound of her stomach rumbling. They hadn’t stopped for lunch yet. Aura briefly considered suggesting that they did.

            “HAH!” Ash exhaled loudly as he made it over the cliff, before throwing himself to the new level of ground that was now beneath him.

            On second thought, she would do nothing of the sort. If these humans were hungry, they’d have to fend for themselves. Aura wanted to find this Temple and get going already.

            Aura wondered what kind of Fighting Pokémon would be the Sage at this Temple.

            She really hoped it would be something… _intimidating_. Maybe it would be a Machamp. Yeah, something huge, threatening, and muscular as a Machamp, _that_ would terrify the Chosen One. Aura grinned to herself, and found the strength to ignore her hunger.

            They had reached the mountains at about ten in the morning. Judging by the sun’s position in the sky, Aura assumed it was about one in the afternoon, meaning that they had been climbing for three hours. Yet, they hadn’t come across a single Pokémon. Not even a typical mountain dweller, like a Geodude. She was beginning to think that this whole plan was a flop. She sat down when they got to the next sheer cliff.

            Were they heading in the right way? What if, when they left Lavender Town, they had gone in the wrong direction from the way that Saki had told them to go the other day? Would they wander this way for hours or days? Would they live, if they really were heading in the wrong direction? Aura was a little concerned. She didn’t particularly want to die out here, so far from her…mountain home, most likely out of starvation.

            “Oh, Arceus, no!” Nyx breathed beside her, looking up, wide–eyed.  

            Aura glanced up.

            Ash had already climbed to the top of the next cliff, with Misty a little over halfway up–just out of his reach. What had Nyx so terrified was the rock that had slid right out of the side of the mountain as Misty tried to use it as a handhold, causing her to lose her grip.

            “MISTY!” Ash yelled in shock and fear as his best friend started to fall.

            Aura reacted instantly. She leapt at the cliffside, and jumped right off of it again, reaching out just in time to grab Misty before she hit the ground. However, the Lucario landed funny, causing her to trip and drop the human as Aura fell face–first herself. A jolt of pain shot up her right leg as she landed.

            “Nngh!” Aura moaned. She coughed in the cloud of dust their landing had kicked up.

            Misty hadn’t spoken yet.

            “Misty?” Aura asked. Her concern was uncontainable. “You okay?”

            “I–I–I…” Misty stammered. “I’m…I’m okay. A little shaken, but I’m fine.”  
            Aura looked up to see the relief clear on Ash’s face. Grimacing in annoyance, she stood up. A twinge of pain surged around her raised ankle–Lucario technically walked on their toes–and almost sent Aura to the ground again. Moaning softly, she tapped the foot on the ground, sending another jolt of pain up her leg to the base of her spine.

            Was her ankle sprained? Or were there fractures or broken bones? Aura grimaced.

            “Aura?” Misty sounded concerned.

            “I’m fine!” She barked rather forcefully. She slowly walked to the cliffside and–clenching her teeth–she started to scale up it. “I…hate…my…life!” She moaned to herself as she threw herself over the top of the cliff. “I...hate this…mountain!” She looked around in pain–induced rage. Her crimson eyes locked with the dark blues of the nearest human. “I…hate…you,” Aura snarled at Ash.

            “How is _this_ my fault?” Ash was staggered at her sudden fury.

            “If _you_ had been able to save your girlfriend, _I_ wouldn’t have had to, and we wouldn’t have _wasted_ all that time that she’ll have to take to climb it _again_!” Aura barked.

            “ _I_ …?” Ash hesitated. “ _I_ wasn’t even within _reach_! You think I didn’t _want_ to save my _friend’s life_? I _would have_ if I _could_ have! I _was_ going to _thank_ you, but…”

            “What?” Aura challenged. “Do you _regret_ me saving your girlfriend’s life?!”

            “That’s _not_ what I meant, and you _know_ it!” Ash was ticked off. “I would’ve saved her in a heartbeat if I could’ve!”

            “So, now you’re jealous?” Aura smirked. “You _wish_ you could have been the one to save her, instead of me?”

            “What is that supposed to mean?”

            “I know how _obsessed_ you are!” Aura sneered. “But you don’t realize the danger you’ve put her in! The danger that _that_ puts _you_ in! The path you’ve set yourselves on…will only lead to your despair and your death!”

            Aura stopped suddenly. She took a step back, a look of pain and shock on her face. She couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth, in _her_ voice.

            “Guys?” Misty managed to drag herself over the edge of the cliff. “What’s with the sudden ceasefire?”

            “Oh, no,” Nyx added as he followed the redhead. He saw something in the Lucario’s eyes that neither of the humans could.

            Aura grimaced and–despite of the pain radiating from her ankle–tore off, running away from the others.

            “Well,” Misty grimaced. “ _That_ was handled well.”

            “I don’t get what it is that she expects of me!” Ash exasperated. “It’s like she wanted me to throw myself down the mountain.”  
            “That wouldn’t have been very helpful,” Misty suppressed a smile.

            “I just don’t understand what her problem is,” Ash groaned. “I _try_ to be…nice to her and all she does is resent me, and act sullen. If I act the way she expects me to, then she’s infuriated, saying how I’m such a _typical human_!”

            “We’re still no closer to figuring her out, or her past,” Nyx nodded in agreement.

            “We don’t have to,” Misty scowled. “She’s a living thing; her actions have motives. She clearly cares…very…” she hesitated. “Well, _very_ deep down, I suppose. But, her anger and hate conceals it, like she’s wearing a mask. She’s cautious, wary, and…she always predicts the worst can– _and will_ –happen. And, if you try to think about it abstractly, not going for any exact details, it’s not hard to figure out a very basic cause.”

            All three males before her simply stared: Nyx with concern and Pikachu with a strange emotion that made him look almost melancholy. But Ash…Ash’s face was indescribable. He looked at her like she had suddenly changed into some creature from beyond, surpassing him in understanding and maturity, leaving him. And he didn’t like it. It hurt him in some strange way he didn’t know he could hurt, and he realized what had happened as he had watched her walk away at that crossroad years before.

            He had lost her.

            The person standing before him was still Misty. And yet, she wasn’t. She was older, smarter, stronger… _wiser_. She had _changed_.

            Not that Ash _hadn’t_ changed. Just…it seemed that he had gone in a completely different direction. The split hadn’t just taken place physically. It had also occurred much deeper than that, separating them emotionally. The increasing amount they had spent apart, first in Hoenn, then with the Kanto Battle Frontier, and with Sinnoh, had caused this gap to grow. He felt, in that moment, that they might actually be growing _apart_.

            And it _terrified_ him.

            Misty did not notice, as she had looked down at her feet after her previous statement.

            “She’s been hurt, most likely betrayed by someone she knew or trusted. Maybe she _did_ have a trainer, maybe he or she abandoned or abused her, or maybe it was even an older person who died when she was too young to understand. Maybe it was a corrupt Ranger that turned out to be a Poacher in disguise, and he or she hurt her family–maybe even killed them. Maybe it was just simply a friend, not a trainer that she lived and worked with, just a human she grew to like and became too close to, and said human hurt her.”

            “Or, maybe she simply had one too many run–ins with Team Rocket and decided that _all_ humans were so… _uncivilized_.” Nyx offered.

            “That is possible as well,” Misty nodded. “But, right now, it doesn’t matter. What matters is making sure that Aura knows we’re on her side.” Misty paused for a moment. “Stay here.”

            And she ran off after the Lucario without another word.

...  
...  
 

Aura did not know how long she had been running. It seemed like hours, though might have been only forty–five minutes. She wasn’t sure. Time seemed to blur, like the rocky landscape around her. Her paws started to ache from pounding on the ground, and her ankle throbbed with excruciating pain, but their screams of agony never registered in her mind. She simply tore through the mountains, her leather jacket flapping from the speed.

            Eventually, her feet refused to carry her any farther, and she simply collapsed, falling face first to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt as she did. She simply heaved and tried to catch her breath, letting herself just lie there.

            It couldn’t….

            This could _not_ be happening!

            She could not _possibly_ ….

            She inhaled sharply, taking in a mouthful of loose dirt. Aura pushed her torso and head up above the ground with her front paws, hacking and spitting it out again.

            She hadn’t seen him in years!

            Yet, that conversation had come back to haunt her…with a curse.

            Oh, yes, it was worse than she had feared it would be.

            Aura stared at the spikes on the back of her paws.

            _After all these years, am I becoming my father?_

            Aura’s eyes went even wider.

            _What if…what I said was true? Have I predicted his fate?_

            Aura clenched her eyes shut, baring her teeth in a snarl.

            _No, I will_ not _bear another’s fate on my shoulders_. _Not again_.

            Aura slowly stood up, hissing sharply with the pain from her paws and ankle. She knelt again, unable to overcome the pain…yet.

            “Never again,” the Lucario opened her eyes to narrow, angry slits.

            “Aura?” A soft voice caused her to turn around, lessening her intense expression.

            Misty gently grabbed the undersides of her arms, and slowly helped her up.

            “Thank you,” Misty smiled. “For saving my life.”

            _I know where I’ve heard_ that _before._

            _And it sure as hell wasn’t my father._

            “Y-you’re welcome,” Aura stammered.

            “We were worried about you.”

            For a moment, Aura believed the human.

            “You…were?”

            “We take good care of our friends, Aura,” Misty smiled. “Come on, we’ll go back to the others, set up camp, and call it a day. The sun’s due to set in the next hour or so, anyway.”

            Aura blinked, touched her necklace briefly, and then followed Misty without another word, limping and going at a slow rate the entire way.

...  
...  
  

Nyx was worried. He wasn’t much of a worrier, but there were times that his concern became a little too strong to do otherwise. He trotted about the camp, as the others slept.

            The way Aura had acted before….

            Misty was wrong.

            Aura’s past _was_ important. They _needed_ to know. They had to figure out what set her off, what made her mad. They needed to know what would hurt her. They needed to know how…they could make her happy. Nyx wanted her to be happy. He didn’t mind her sullen, feral personality at first, but after the occasional hint that maybe–just maybe–there was a loving, caring, friendly, happy creature under that mask he began to tire of her bitterness and rage.

            He just wanted her to be happy.

            Nyx walked towards the packs, and used his nose to nudge Ash’s gently. The Shiny Umbreon’s entire body seemed to glow a soft blue, not just his like–colored markings. He looked at Ash’s sleeping form. Nyx almost laughed. The young teen didn’t look much like a great warrior, destined to wield the might of the Elements. But yet, he was the Chosen.

            Misty’s sleeping bag wasn’t far from his. Nyx allowed himself a low, soft chuckle. He softly walked towards her.

            “He’s not as dense as you think,” he said to her under his breath. “One day he’ll see…if he hasn’t already.”

            He turned, and looked at Aura. The Lucario was now convinced that the humans weren’t going to kill her in her sleep, but she still slept on the other side of the campfire, which had long been put out. With the silver moonlight softly illuminating her fur, she seemed just as calm and innocent as any Pokémon.

            Then, she twitched, and she grimaced as if in pain, eventually baring her teeth.

            Nyx tensed. Had he disturbed her slumber?

            Aura’s eye’s remained closed, though she twitched again.

            Nyx understood. She was dreaming.

            _More than likely a nightmare,_ Nyx thought solemnly. _Oh, what horrors lie in your mind and memory? What ghosts haunt your dreams and curse your soul? What demons do you fear in the shadows, that you hide yourself even from those who are your friends?_

            But, the dream was beyond even the wise comprehension of the young Aide of the Night Sage.

            Aura dreamt of blood…her blood, and… _his_.

            She dreamt of flashing blades, and of inescapable torture and agony.

            She dreamt of rain, mingling with the tears…her tears.

            She dreamt of a desperate plea, to either spare her, or to end it.

            She could no longer remember who begged for such mercy, the memory drowning in blood. She cried out, begging to save _him_. To spare him.

            She felt his presence, saw his face, recognizing that look in his eyes.

            He couldn’t.

            She whispered to him with the fear of a young child caught in the battle.

            He couldn’t.

            _No,_ Aura felt a surge of rage.

            He _wouldn’t_.

            The blade…ordered. No. The shadow _holding_ it did. And its orders were carried out.

            He _betrayed_ her!

            Aura didn’t even feel the blade as it made contact. She was already shattered.

            Aura woke suddenly. She looked around in fear, rubbed her eyes, and calmed down. After she was certain that no one was even awake, much less had seen her, she settled back down into sleep.

            What she didn’t know was that Nyx had hidden himself when he saw her wake up so startled. She didn’t know that he had seen her crying.

...  
...  
 

“Oh, I _give up_!” Aura moaned. “I have had enough of these damned mountains! I’d rather spend the rest of my life in a human city than spend another day wandering around here aimlessly!”

            “I hear ya,” Ash groaned. “I’m hungry,” he added.

            “You’re always hungry,” Misty chuckled.

            “Am not,” Ash retorted weakly.

            “That wasn’t very convincing,” Nyx smiled. “Where’s your unbreakable confidence? The Chosen One has to appear powerful in every way, the will most of all. If your will is weak, the Elements will never accept you.”

            “Elements?” Ash sounded lost.

            “Chosen One,” Aura scoffed, treating the words like curse words.

            Suddenly, a blur whipped around them in a circle, causing a slight, brief whirlwind to blow about them. The blur stopped in front of them, revealing it to be…

            “A Hitmontop?” Ash blinked in surprise.

            “Did you say ‘Chosen One’?” It spoke in perfect English.

            “Perhaps,” Aura frowned. “What’s it to you?”

            “I have orders to find the Chosen One when he arrives, and bring him to the Shrine.”

            “He?” Aura barked. “Who says the Chosen One isn’t female?”

            “Yeah!” Misty nodded. “Maybe _I’m_ the Chosen One.”

            The Hitmontop laughed in a manner that made Aura want to punch him in the face until he passed out. Yet, other than baring her teeth in a snarl, she refrained herself.

            “Who are you?” Nyx demanded.

            “I am Scruff, Head Aide to Odin, the Temple’s Sage,” The Hitmontop practically glowed.

            Aura felt sick just seeing it.

            “I’ve heard of you,” Nyx narrowed his eyes.

            _Another suck–up_ , Nyx scowled to himself. _How typical. I’ll bet he isn’t even well–liked, let alone the_ Head _Aide_.

            “Oh, have you now?” Scruff smirked. “And just who are you that you’ve been blessed to hear of me before now?”

            After a brief, successful struggle to control his gag reflex, Nyx stepped forward, assuming a stance of pride.

            “ _I_ am the Head Aide of the Night Sage. I have come to aid all Sages as the companion of the Chosen. I am Nyx, the Sapphire Moon.”

            _Sapphire Moon?_ The words echoed in Aura’s mind, sending a wave of shock through her.

            “Sapphire Moon?” Scruff crossed his arms, thinking. “Nyx?” He paused. “Night… Sage…not old Zyne? No, he stepped down, leaving… _Nila_.” He said her name like it was poison on his lips, making Nyx tense. “Nyx…the Head Aid? Puh, you _would_ be!”

            It was like someone had replaced Nyx with a rabid Ursaring. The Umbreon flung himself at the Hitmontop in unsuppressed anger. The force of the collision knocked Scruff over, with Nyx standing on top of him, panting in an attempt to curb his rage, which was clearly burning in his eyes.

            The others, unused to this side of the otherwise placid Nyx, could only stare in complete shock.

            “ _Never_ …” Nyx breathed, his eyes narrow slits, fire burning in them. “ _Never say that or anything like it again!_ ”

            “Or, what?” Scruff scoffed. The Hitmontop threw himself into a standing pose with a Triple Kick, knocking the Umbreon to the ground. “Don’t forget…the Fighting Element is superior to Dark in battle.”

            “So then, why does Night come so far after Struggle in the Cycle?” Nyx retorted with a dark smile.

            Scruff glared at him with obvious hate.

            “Er,” Ash stepped in, stammering and trying to break up the potential fight _before_ it happened. “My name is Ash Ketchum. _I_ am the Chosen.”

            “Very well,” Scruff tried to act with some level of dignity, but wasn’t fooling anyone. “You will come with me,” he set off, presumably towards the Temple.

            “ _Oh, Ash_ ,” Pikachu sighed. “ _What have we gotten ourselves into?_ ”

...  
...  
 

Odin would have groaned at the sight before him a few years before.

            _Thank Arceus I’ve learned such strong emotional restraint. I have to present myself as an honorable Sage. I didn’t get here by being a bumbling, bubbly, babbling, damned emotion freak. Saki may be young, but I’m now undeniably adult, both physically and emotionally._ _I must admit though, Godric_ is _starting to annoy me about settling down and taking a mate. Poor old Zyne is_ still _the object of too much gossip over_ his _mate. Sages just aren’t meant for mates, I suppose._

            Scruff was the youngest Aide he had. Frankly, he only made him an Aide as a favor to his father, a Hitmonchan named Jhan, who insisted that the hard, honorable work of an Aide might teach him a thing or two about humility.

            _Well,_ that _has turned out_ so _well. I daresay his ego has_ inflated _since that day. He calls himself Head Aide. The others only suffer him because I have so far withheld any permission to put him in his place. I had planned to before the next Sages’ Gathering, but I think that the coming of the Chosen One will allow me to make a far better, and more effective plan._

            If he was surprised to see not just one human with Scruff, but two, as well as several Pokémon, he didn’t show it. Scruff, as usual, strutting about as if he owned the place, and–if the disgusted expressions on the human’s faces, and particularly the look of pure hate coming from a Shiny Umbreon with them were any indication–he had already done something to piss them off.

            He made a mental note to apologize for the youngster’s behavior. _If_ the Chosen One passed his Test, he added, narrowing his eyes.

            The human male seemed no older than Odin himself; in fact, he seemed a few years _younger_ , caught in that phase between childhood and adulthood. Odin _was_ surprised, and opened his mouth slightly, allowing himself to show it. There was a female, with orange–red hair, that looked about his age. Judging by the small distance they kept between themselves, and the fact that she was–he supposed, by human standards–quite attractive, Odin figured she might be his pre-mate, which humans were known to go through several before deciding on one as a life mate, or at least a long-term one. A Lucario walked next to the girl– _female_ , Odin noticed, _I’ll be damned if Godric doesn’t notice and start pestering me about her_ –a Pikachu rested on the boy’s shoulder, and the Shiny Umbreon walked beside him.

            “Now, Ash,” Nyx said in a low voice as they approached Odin. “Odin, despite his attitude, is a very proud beast. Do _not_ insult him, don’t challenge him, and do your best to not offend him. If he challenges you, you must accept. To deny the Sage’s challenge is to forfeit. Look around you. This slight valley in the mountains is home to just under a hundred Pokémon that are at least part–Fighting, with the occasional that isn’t but wishes to hone a Fighting ability. They are loyally under his command. If you tick him off enough, he might order them to kill. If he did, you would fall, even with the power of the Support Orb. So, tread lightly.”

            Ash gulped and hesitated as Odin took a step towards him, as if to inspect him like a Ponyta.

            Nyx knelt in a slight bow.

            “Hail, Sage Odin, Guardian of the Struggle Orb, Head of the Fighting Order.”

            “Nyx?” Odin apparently recognized the Umbreon. “At ease, brother.”

            “Does _every_ Sage know you?” Ash muttered.

            “Most of them will have at least heard of me,” Nyx whispered back. “Fortunately for you.”

            “Indeed,” Odin nodded, startling the Umbreon. “Not only do I have the honor of knowing someone as noble as the Sapphire Moon, but I have also met his father. Nyx comes from a proud lineage; his father, Zyne, was the Night Sage before Nila.”

            “Sapphire Moon?”

            “There are times that his whole body glows with a blue color, for apparently no reason,” Odin said simply. “Zyne used to call him his ‘little sapphire moon,’ and it apparently stuck long after he stepped down.”

            Nyx had suddenly made himself appear smaller, with his eyes looking at the ground, and his ears pressed back against his head.

            Misty smiled. He was _embarrassed_. She didn’t want to make worse by giggling at it, but damn it, it was too darn _cute_! Misty shot a glance at Aura. The Lucario’s eyes were half-shut in disinterest, clearly not amused.

            “That’s not all,” Scruff piped up, annoyance clear on his face. “He also–ungh!”

            Odin had suddenly brought his foot down on the Hitmontop’s head, just missing its point.

            “What was that…?”

            “Go tell Head Aide Godric to meet me in my quarters, then report to Trad, where you’ll be working all day for the rest of the week,” Odin ordered, conveniently revealing the arrogant Pokémon’s lie. “That was not a request!”

            Scruff sulked off, mumbling under his breath.

            “Don’t even think about trying to get out of it!” Odin barked after him. “I will be talking to Trad myself in a few hours!”

            “Oh, _thank_ Arceus!” Aura sighed in an irritated tone. “About damned time someone put him in his place!”

            Nyx shot her a warning look.

            “Yes,” Odin nodded. “I believe a harsh lesson in humility is in order.” He glanced back at the others. “Now if you’ll follow me, we can get out of the sun and heat.”

            Odin led them into a large cave–like opening in the side of one of the mountains. Inside, it greatly resembled the Normal Temple, with the walls of the caves smoothed out to appear more hospitable, and torches and lamps illuminating the whole place in a warm glow. He took them through several hallways and corridors, revealing several rooms where Fighting Pokémon were training and sparring, before taking them into a very simple room, decorated only by a low–rising table in the middle, a large bookshelf on one wall, and a bed against the wall opposite it. Like every other room, torches and lamps were posted on every wall.

            “Odin?” A Blaziken walked to the doorway.

            “Yes, come in,” Odin waved at his friend.

            “Is it true?” The Blaziken asked.

            “I am the Sage of this Temple,” Odin ignored him, properly introducing himself to the others. “My name is Odin. This is my _real_ Head Aide, Godric.”

            “I’m Misty.”

            “Ash.”

            “Pika Pikachu!”

            They looked at Aura expectantly.

            “What?” She acted like she had no idea what was going on. “Is my face on fire or something?”

            “This ball of sunshine is Aura,” Nyx said dryly.

            “I know,” Odin nodded. “I was there when she was brought to the Sages to determine if we would mingle in her fate or not, a few years back. I recall voting positively on that particular ballot. Shame that it has taken so long for her finally get over her little fear of humans.”

            “I’M NO COWARD!” Aura suddenly bellowed. She leapt at him, swiping with her paw spikes.

            Odin calmly blocked every attack, appearing rather bored.

            “If you’re going to attack me, then _attack_ me,” Odin half–yawned.

            Aura aimed a kick right between his eyes, but he grabbed her foot–paw before it could make contact, twisting her around and into submission.

            “Attack!”

            “I am attacking!” Aura snarled.

            _Damn!_ She growled to herself. _I used to be able to fight off any foe with_ less _effort. Nyx was right. This guy is_ tough _. Time to kick it up a notch._

            She focused all her strength and turned herself at one last attempt to overpower Odin with her brute strength.

            But her attack never landed.

            Odin landed a well–aimed Mach Punch at Aura’s stomach, causing her to stiffen with shock for the briefest of moments, before she fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, trying desperately to hide the agony she was in.

            “I admire your spirit as much as I did when I first saw you,” Odin admitted in a calm tone. “But, I am also disappointed. You have so much potential, yet you do not attack with the powers that run in your blood as a Fighting Pokémon. No, instead you disgrace us by _street fighting_!” He spat in fury. He grabbed her arm, pulling her up to eye level. “I could not fix that before; it was outside my jurisdiction. But, now you are on _my_ territory. _My_ word is law here. It’s time we teach you to be a fighting Pokémon, not some uncivilized barbarian.” He started to drag her out of the room. “Can you start young Ashura’s training for me, Godric?” He called back to the Blaziken.

            “It’ll be an honor,” he bowed towards the human.

            “ _I’ll_ be dealing with this one,” Odin trailed off in an almost threatening tone as he drug Aura through the Temple.

            The feral, female Lucario was in no condition to resist.

...  
...  
 

            “Why did that Hitmontop set you off like that, Nyx?” Misty asked.

            Nyx twitched his ears somewhat, uncomfortable.

            They were sitting outside, leaning against the side of the mountain. Misty had been gazing up at the clouds, trying not to think of Ash, or what he or Aura might be going through at that exact moment. Then, she had turned and looked at Nyx, who had been glancing about them. Whether he was nervous or simply alert, Misty couldn’t tell.

            “I just…I work hard to be the best Aide I can to the Night Sage, and I never suck up or use any underhanded methods to get ahead. And, everyone says that I’m just Head Aide because my…because Zyne was my father.”

            “That must be really tough,” Misty muttered. “You must have spent your whole life in his shadow.”

            “Like you did with your sisters?” Nyx asked softly.

            “How do you know about that?” Misty didn’t recall telling him much about her past.

            “I, uh, overheard you and Ash talking the other day.”

            “Oh.”

            “You two are really close, huh?”

            “He’s my best friend, Nyx.”

            “So, why does he look at you like that?”

            “Like what?” Misty was a bit startled.

            “Like…I don’t know,” Nyx stood up. “Just…funny, that’s all. He always seems so confused and flustered.”

            “Maybe it’s the Support Orb getting to him.” Misty wouldn’t let herself hope…again. She just couldn’t believe it would happen.

            “So why does he never look at Aura or me like that?” Nyx countered. “Why does he reserve it only for…you?”

            Nyx walked away at that, leaving Misty speechless.

...  
...  
  

Aura stumbled and fell.

            “Stand up!” Odin barked.

            Aura growled under her breath as she struggled to her feet. Her ankle screamed at her, sending jolt after jolt of agonizing pain up her leg and spine. She trembled, concentrating every brain cell on staying standing up.

            “Attack me!” Odin snarled.

            _Attack?_ Aura’s mind swirled. _What…can I attack? What…what attack? Maybe…._

            She started to swipe with her paw spike.

            “No,” Odin calmly avoided the slow attempt. “Attack me with a true Fighting ability. I know you still feel the power of the Fighting Element in your blood. Use it!”

            Aura’s mind felt muddled, only hearing about half of what Odin was saying.

            “I know you can!” Odin challenged.

            _I can…what?_ Aura forced her eyes to remain as open as she could. Her head felt as if someone had brought a hammer down on it. A very large hammer. _Fighting…element. I…maybe…what, though? Can I…remember…how…which…what?_

            Aura shook her head. She looked at Odin.

            Aura smiled. She saw his attack, despite his attempt to surprise her. She wished she had the energy to deflect…

            Odin’s jaw dropped in surprise. His Double Kick attack had been blocked by some sort of barrier, which glowed purple slightly with every hit it blocked.

            _Protect?_ Odin thought. _No…she can Detect!_ He grinned.

            _Now_ they were getting somewhere!

            _What…what?_ Aura was getting more and more confused, and began to stumble around.

            “Aura?” Odin was beginning to worry that maybe–just maybe–he had pushed her a little too hard. “You can still do this. I…I can’t help you. You need to stand up. Don’t give up on me! Stand up! You’re gonna have to help the Chosen One, and you can’t save him from _any_ true source of danger or evil if you can’t even fight me. We need you to protect him! C’mon! Attack me!”

            Only, Aura heard…a different voice.

            _Aura? You…do this. I…can’t…stand up. Help…save…me…. Protect…me…._

            Aura’s eyes went wide.

            _No. Not this time!_ She bared her teeth in a determined snarl. She leaned towards Odin, and snapped the air in a harsh bite, not realizing she had missed her target completely.

            Odin felt a wave of dark energy, though weak and barely detectable, coming from where Aura had tried to snap at him.

            _Crunch? Well, it’s not a Fighting attack…but she’s actually attacking, and not just street fighting. I wonder what I said?_

            “You…bastard!” Aura hissed at him, hate dripping from every word. “You…stay away from him! I’ll kill you! I’ll…”

            Suddenly, she barreled into him, causing him to fall down.

            _Extremespeed?_ Odin guessed. It was weaker and slower than normal, yes, but given the situation…. _I wonder why she’s suddenly so pissed off._

            He stood up.

            “The hell?” He breathed to himself.

            “I won’t let you hurt him!” Aura was becoming more and more delusional. “I’ll tear you apart if you come near him ever again. I’ll send you to Hell, where you _belong_! You… Goddamned bastard f…fuh…” Aura stammered.

            Her world blurred and fell into a wave of darkness.

            Odin caught her as she collapsed, unconscious. Anger overcame his confusion and concern.

            He wanted answers, and he wanted them now, Arceus damn it!

...  
... 

Ash gingerly sat down on a bed in the room Odin was allowing him and the others to stay in. He moaned slightly as every muscle in his body tensed, and then simply collapsed into the mattress.

            “Pikapi?” Pikachu rubbed his head against Ash’s cheek.

            “Training?” Ash groaned. “More like extreme–workout. I thought I was in better shape than that.”

            “ _Apparently not._ ”

            “It’s like he chained me to the most exhausting machine at a gym, and locked it on the highest setting. I don’t know what they’re expecting of me.”

            “ _I dunno_ ,” Pikachu muttered under his breath. “ _Perhaps they expect you to be a_ hero, _something you’ve already agreed to be._ ”

            “Didja say something?” Ash made a weak attempt to raise his head some.

            “ _No, Ash_.”

            “Ash?” Misty asked softly, as she and Nyx entered the room.

            “Misty?” Ash sat up suddenly, startling Pikachu. “What’s up?”

            “I heard you were done with Godric for the day,” Misty smiled slightly. “I thought you’d like to talk about it.”

            “Not much to talk about,” Ash shrugged, grinning somewhat. “It was mostly just a long workout. Nothing I haven’t handled before.”

            Pikachu narrowed his eyes at his human friend, smiling to himself.

            _Of course_.

            “How are you?” Ash ignored the look on Pikachu’s face.

            “Bored out of our minds,” Nyx exasperated.

            “We’ve just been waiting for you guys to be done,” Misty added.

            “Where’s Aura?” Nyx asked.

            “Right here,” a new voice startled the Umbreon, causing him to jump a foot into the air.

            Odin came into the room, carrying Aura’s limp form in his arms. He set her down on another bed.

            “What did you _do_?” Misty breathed.

            “I don’t know,” Odin said quietly. “One second, she’s exhausted, and I’m actually trying to encourage her. Then, in a heartbeat, she swearing like a sailor and trying to actually kill me. I think she went delusional.”

            “What do you mean…delusional?” Nyx tilted his head in curiosity.

            “What do you know of her past? Has she told you _anything_?”

            “All she’s admitted to was having a family at some point,” Ash shrugged.

            “And something about her father, I think,” Misty added.

            “Define ‘family’.” Odin said in a low tone.

            “Define?” Ash was taken aback. “A group of relatives like her parents, siblings…”

            “That is the problem,” Odin turned to look at him. “You keep thinking she meant her parents, her siblings–if she even had any–and maybe some more extended relations, like aunts, uncles and cousins. How old is she?”

            “She claims she’s about my age,” Misty looked down.

            “Oh, no,” a look of pained sympathy cut across Odin’s face. “Oh, please, no.”

            “What?” Ash was confused. “What’s wrong?”

            “She’s young, but…it’s still possible,” Odin seemed to lose his voice for a moment.

            Misty’s eyes went wide, as if she understood.

            “You keep thinking of her family as her generation and older,” Odin started again. “What if you’re wrong? The way she acted before…gives me reason to believe…she had her _own_ family.”

            “What?” Ash gasped.

            “I have no doubt that she at least had a mate,” Odin placed his paw on his chin, thinking. “It’s also very likely that she had a cub of her own, perhaps a son.”

            “Do you think that a human…killed them?” Nyx’s ears drooped against his face.

            “More likely a trainer used his Pokémon to,” Odin mused. “Which is why she’s untrusting in general. And, why she prefers street fighting to the Abilities she clearly has.”

            “That’s it,” Misty inhaled. “That could explain so much!”

            “But, it’s only a theory,” Odin shook his head. “Nyx, can you come with me? I need to talk to you. Privately.”

            “Comin’!” Nyx barked happily, following the Lucario out of the room and out of sight.

            “I wonder what _that_ ’s about,” Ash muttered. “Second thought, maybe we don’t wanna know.”

            Aura moved slightly, as if in a dream, startling the young humans.

            “Do ya think she’s gonna wake up?” Ash frowned slightly.

            “I hope so,” Misty surprised him. “I want her to realize that we’re her friends, that we’re here for her, if she’d only let us.”

            “She doesn’t like me,” Ash muttered.

            “I don’t really see much hate in her eyes when she looks at you,” Misty glanced at her best friend. “It’s more like…pain…and regret. I think you remind her of someone she really loved, maybe even this mate Odin theorizes she once had.”

            “Do you think she was once a mother?”

            Misty was silent for a moment.

            “No.”

            Misty wiped her left eye with her right hand, acting as casual about it as possible, trying to not let Ash notice.

            “Misty?”

            She couldn’t tell if he was concerned that she might’ve been crying, or that she had suddenly become so quiet, and she didn’t dare to look at him to try to find out.

            “I just don’t feel that she’s been a mother,” Misty said softly. “Maybe she viewed herself as a mother-like figure once, but I don’t think she’s ever been a true mother to any creature, blood-related or not. But…I agree with Odin.”

            “Huh?” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “I do believe that she’s had a mate or something like that,” Misty looked at the ground, then at Ash. “I _know_ , somehow, that she has been in love. And, that something happened to tear her apart from the one she loved, whether by death or betrayal.”

            “A human,” Ash added. “A human probably killed him, like Nyx said, and thought he had killed her as well, and left them for dead. Only, Aura survived.”

            “Imagine how she felt, having lost someone she cared so deeply for.”

            “She must’ve wanted nothing more than to die herself for a very long time,” Ash met Misty’s gaze, their eyes locking. “She probably felt like a part of her was shattered beyond repair.”

            “Like her heart?”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded slowly, something heavy–like a boulder–turning in his stomach. “Like a part of her was…removed…forcibly.”

            “A piece of her was cut away.”

            “Like, without them, she was missing a piece of who she was.”

            “Like she was only half of who she was.”

            “Half alive,” Ash found that he could barely whisper. She was really much too close. He really should take a step back; she must have been uncomfortable.

            Wasn’t she?

            Why wasn’t she backing off either? Or yelling at him for being too close?

            Why did he not want her to?

            Ash felt the pulsating beat of his heart throughout his entire body, only it seemed to be resonating from his stomach instead of his chest. Like an iron nail to a magnet, he felt pulled in, and leaned forward without really meaning to, freezing for a moment when their foreheads gently touched. He felt quite dazed and disconnected as well as very alive and aware of everything at the same time. Ash had never felt like this before; he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing, but after only the first few milliseconds, he was already addicted to this new emotion.

            Maybe they weren’t growing apart after all.

            “Ash,” Misty breathed, almost sounding timid.

            What was he _doing?_

            Was it _possible_ that he…?

            “I…” Misty started, but trailed off, unsure of what to say.

            As if of their own accord, Ash’s arms slowly and awkwardly wrapped themselves around her, his hands lightly touching her back so that he was gently, cautiously, _barely_ –and yet _undeniably_ –holding her. A jolt of electricity shot through every nerve in his body, jump–starting his heart to a pace that would’ve made a Rapidash jealous. He couldn’t breathe.

            And he _liked_ it.

            What was wrong with him?

            _Misty’s my best friend_ , Ash’s mind raced. _What am I doing? This is…I…I can’t…_

            Ash’s mind completely froze, as Misty tilted her head so that, instead of their foreheads, it was the tips of their noses that lightly touched, and closed her eyes.

            “Mist.”

            “Ash,” she gingerly reached up and held his arms, noticing for the first time just how much muscle he had developed since they had last traveled together.

            Ash blinked slowly a few times, as her very touch seemed to drain all ability to think from him. He closed his eyes, and, acting on some pure instinct he hadn’t known he possessed, tilted his head to the right some. He leaned in another few millimeters, until the distance between their lips was almost non-existent. He could feel her warm, sweet breath on his face. He firmed his hold on her back by the slightest amount, as if to convince himself that she wasn’t going to run…that in the next second he would follow through with his instincts, and he and Misty would be ki–

            _Hold on a second!_

            Was he _really_ about to kiss her? Him? _Kiss Misty_?

            He opened his eyes. Something about the way she looked, so peaceful, in his arms– _his_ arms–softened the shock of that idea. No, it made it vanish completely.

            The idea seemed…normal, almost okay. It felt _natural_. He could already see it. He _wanted_ to kiss her.

            Hell, he wanted to more than _that_. He wanted to re-define kiss in a way she had never experienced–forget the fact he had never really kissed anyone before, as well as the possibility that she hadn’t either. He wanted to knock the two of them back into the nearby bed–Aura’s still form was already forgotten–and he wanted to slip his hand up–

            _HOLY SHIT!_ A burst of logic and realization exploded in Ash’s mind, causing him to jerk back, forcibly breaking him apart from Misty and their almost-kiss.

            “Ash?” Misty opened her eyes, looking concerned and confused.

            “I…I-I-I-uh…I-uh-um…I,” Ash stumbled around the room, as well as stumbled in attempt to get a complete sentence out. He felt a surge of volcanic heat overcome his face, and tried a few more times to get a whole word out, before dashing out the door.

            “Ash?” Misty called after him, a strange tone in her voice.

            Ash’s heartbeat echoed in his own ears as he sped through the halls, desperate to get outside to fresh air.

            _She’s my_ best friend! _And I wanted to…_ His thoughts trailed. He just didn’t understand what was wrong with him.

            Misty just didn’t get it. Ash was acting so _strange_. The way he had acted just a few seconds before…Misty thought that–just maybe–he had actually _wanted_ to kiss her. That Nyx _might_ have been right.

            He had been _holding_ her, right? And, he _had_ gotten so very close. She could still feel his breath on her face. He must have been a mere millimeter away.

            What changed his mind? Was it her? What did she do? Or not do?

            Misty grabbed her head in both hands.

            “I don’t think it was you,” A voice from behind her startled her, answering her thoughts like a mind reader.

            “Aura? How long have you been awake?”

            “Long enough to know that you didn’t do anything,” Aura rubbed her head. “From what I saw…what he was doing sank in at the last second, and he got scared.”

            “Ash Ketchum will never admit to being scared,” Misty smiled, and crossed her arms.

            “He doesn’t have to…not to you,” Aura adjusted the sleeves of her jacket. “You have this to prove it.”

            “Maybe he decided that he didn’t want it,” Misty looked away.

            _That he didn’t want_ me, she added to herself.

            “I don’t recall you being the one who made the move,” Aura rubbed her neck, checking for stiff muscles. “It looked to me like it was him who leaned in to kiss you.”

            There was something in her voice that made Misty stop. It wasn’t what she had said–that sank in a moment later–but it was Aura’s tone.

            It wasn’t jealousy, at least not the usual kind. It wasn’t that she was jealous of Misty because of _Ash_ himself, but…there was a glint of envy there, all the same. There was also regret and…shame?

            “Wait. _He_ …?”

            “Do _you_ remember moving?”

            “No…not much, really.”

            “So, then, logically…”

            “That’s not…not possible,” Misty shook his head. “We’re not…we’re not like that….”

            “Maybe you _weren’t_ …once,” Aura gingerly tapped her still sore ankle. “But, something has definitely changed.”

            Misty was speechless.

...  
...  
 

Ash sat next to the small spring on the side of the mountain where the Temple resided. He was staring into the waters, thinking about what had just happened, what could have happened, about what he could have done.

            “Who am I?” He asked his rippling reflection.

            “You are the Chosen One,” A powerful voice answered from behind. “You are destined to wield the powers of the Elements in battle.”

            “Why?” Ash asked. “Why me? Why at all?”

            “Because, young Ashura,” Odin came forward, his reflection joining Ash’s in the water, “our world is…disconnected. Humans and Pokémon were once so close; they once lived in such great harmony, that humans, too, had powers of their own. They could take the shape of Pokémon, and borrow their strengths to better themselves, inside and out. It was a time of true peace, and the great Order of the Elements was established.”

            “Complete peace?”

            “For the most part, yes,” Odin nodded. “There was the occasional issue here or there, but for the most part, the years flowed in tranquility. Our peoples were as one, and lived as brothers and sisters to one and all. The purpose of life was to better others as well as yourself, and very few lived in any true darkness, as generosity, honor, and grace pulsed in the veins and blood of every creature. Lives were taken only as predator claiming the prey it desperately needed to survive, and nothing was wasted or taken for granted. The spirits remained in balance.”

            “What happened?” Ash had never heard of this.

            “Greed,” Odin’s gaze darkened with a harsh growl. “Hunger. Lust. Envy. Hate. Blood thirst. All of these things, starting first with greed, became our people’s downfall. It started only with a few people, human Masters of various Elements. But, their wills were too weak for the great powers they had obtained, and they became…corrupted by it. It started small at first, but then it spread like wildfire throughout the entire world. You see, Ashura, humans have great capacity to love, to trust, to have honor in their hearts, but are so easily corrupted in their quest to become the best at whatever they dream.”

            “And?”

            “The schism began for the first time. Brother against brother. Sister against sister. Mother and daughter. Father and son. None were safe from the plague of violence. The Order tried to get it under control, but too many human souls had fallen to the poison of corruption, had succumbed to the sins that lay in rest in the dark side of all of our souls. The peace was gone, with balance only remaining in what little the Order still controlled, the lands in which the Temples of the Elements rested.”

            “Kanto?”

            “And Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Orre, Sevii, and several other lands as well. Large by today’s standards, but compared to the previous way…the entire _world_ , it was but a mere shadow. They alone held up the candle of hope as the world fell into chaos and despair. They became an Order of Knights, Pokémon and humans living, working, fighting and dying together out of love, rather than the force, need, and alliances of convenience seen outside their borders. My people were becoming savage beasts and slaves to the barbarians that lived without honor or code or pride in the wastelands they had corrupted along with their own spirits.”

            “Except for those under the safety of the Order,” Ash repeated, making sure he understood.

            “Exactly. They still had some relative peace, for a few countless more generations. It was under the rule of the greatest Sage–King, Master of the Light Element, Hikaru, that it all…fell.”

            “Hikaru?”

            “He was a mighty Lucario who sought only to help others. He only bettered his strength and increased his powers in every Element so that he could use them for the greater good, to help his peoples, whom he loved. That was also not all he loved.”

            “Say what?” Ash seemed a little taken aback by that. Did this strange hero Odin spoke of with an air of great pride, respect, and awe of…have a sin or vice himself?

            “He had a mate who, according to legend, was one of the dying breed of humans who could take the form of another, and she chose that of the Lucario, to be with the creature she had somehow come to love above all things, and they had a daughter born between them, birthed as a Riolu, and she remained a Pokémon for her entire life. In addition, they also had adopted a son, an orphaned Riolu that they had come to love as if he was their own as well.

            “Most importantly, was his best friend…a human male whose life he had saved when they were both very small. They remained as close as brothers as they grew up. But… something changed.

            “Some say that a curse had been placed on the poor boy’s soul. Others believe that it was the power he had gained and obtained through his trainings that corrupted him. It has also been said that evil was in his heart from the beginning, and that he had deceived Hikaru in hopes that the Lucario would become the Sage-King, and when he did, it was all part of his master plan.

            “In any case, the human turned on his kingdom, of which he had become a high-level Mage-Knight, and the closest advisor to King Hikaru. He struck the Sage-King with his own prized weapon, and–revealing a troupe of traitorous followers of humans and Pokémon alike–and they laid siege upon the castle. The Sage-King, broken in body and heart, underwent the Final Evolution–”

            “The _what_?” Ash asked.

            “The Final Evolution,” Odin had to remember that Ash had not grown up in his world, a world where legends were true and not forgotten, and forced himself to retain his patience. “It is a legendary transformation that all Pokémon–and, according to legend, all humans–are capable of. We release a spiritual bond within ourselves that keeps us tied to the mortal realm, and it unleashes great power, altering physical appearance much like any Pokémon evolving. However, one’s higher thinking, sanity, and more…soul-like emotions often fade at a rapid rate, and always take the Evolved one’s life with them.”

            “I don’t understand,” Ash muttered. “If it’s so dangerous, why would anyone want to undergo it? I can’t see why you should kill yourself for a few moments of…power.”

            “Can you really not?” Odin looked into the human’s eyes.

            Ash thought about it.

            _Why would I want to put myself on a path to death…?_

            _Unless I was dying anyway?_

            _But then, what would I be dying for?_

            What else? A little voice in the back of his head whispered. What else, but the things you have already thrown yourself to death’s fangs for?

            _Pikachu._

            _My Pokémon._

            _My friends._

            _Misty_.

            There she was again, standing out in his mind, different from everyone else, from before. How did she do that?

            Did she even really mean to?

            She _had_ seemed just as scared as Ash had felt, back before….

            _Had_ he really been scared? He couldn’t believe thinking, even for a moment, that he was scared of anything, and yet, in the time span of less than 48 hours, Misty had managed to _terrify_ him in ways he didn’t understand.

            And she did it just by being herself. And Ash was just being himself, wasn’t he?

            So, if Misty was still Misty and Ash was still Ash….

            Why did he feel so…different around her…about her… _for_ her?

            “Ash?” Odin brought Ash back to reality.

            “For someone you…care about,” Ash answered his own, earlier, question.

            Odin smiled at him, confusing Ash.

            _He’s never seemed so…friendly before. It’s kind of strange for him. He seemed so serious before…almost cold, really._

            Odin was amused. It was as if he had the perfect answer on his tongue, but his pride kept him from consciously admitting what it was.

            _He reminds me so much of…myself._

            “Care,” Odin repeated. “What about love?”

            “What about it?” Ash started. He hadn’t made the mental connection, yet, but he still felt as if the male Lucario had read his mind.

            “Do you love her?” Odin was not one to beat about the bush much.

            “Love? Who?”

            “Misty,” Odin thought that it should have been obvious who he was implying; there weren’t any other humans around for miles, let alone any other _female_ ones. “She is your… pre-mate, is she not?”

            “Misty? _No_!” Ash’s face felt hot. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

            Odin narrowed his eyes, not quite buying it.

            “We-we’re not like that!” Ash sounded more like his was trying to convince himself rather than the Sage. “We’re just really good friends.”

            “Are you sure?”

            Suddenly unable to find his voice, Ash forced himself to hesitantly nod.

            “Well, then I apologize for the misunderstanding,” Odin had difficulty admitting to having been wrong, but his honor as a Sage decreed he do so.

            “I…it’s okay,” Ash looked back to the water. “What happened after the King… Evolved?”

            “He used his powers to defeat the foe into retreat, Mark the Chosen One through Time, inscribed his last words onto the walls of his domain, and died,” Odin said simply. “At least, that’s all I know of that part of the legend. It’s a well-kept secret, known only to the Light Sages throughout history. What I do know was, afterward, the Order became less and less comprised of humans, and eventually the Kingdom was broken into smaller Realms and Regions, with Pokémon retreating to the shadows, hoping that–with their natural powers diminishing–humans might find light and hope in their hearts once more.”

            “What…what happened to his children?” Ash asked. “His daughter…and his adopted son.”

            “His son helped to found the new Order of the Sages, which then dispersed themselves around their failing Kingdom, and set up new strongholds of peace and prosperity, away from humans and hidden from the rest of the world.”

            “The Temples…of the Elements?” Ash was starting to link things together.

            “Exactly,” Odin nodded solemnly. “As for his daughter…all that is known is she retrieved her father’s beloved battleaxe from the enemy and ran off into the night, never to be heard from again. None have ever discovered where she went, or what became of her or the legendary weapon she took with her.”

            Ash’s mind suddenly had a revelation.

            “You’re…you’re descended from his son–from Hikaru’s adopted son! Aren’t you?”

            “Yes,” Odin nodded. “My line has been traced back to him. But, it’s nothing to boast about. Blood doesn’t make a warrior. Remember that, Ashura Ketchum. Remember that.” Odin muttered ominously.

            “Uh…will do.” Ash got up, and started to turn back.

            _I’m gonna have to face her eventually_ …

 

...

 

Aura splashed a pawful of water onto her face.

            “Hhrrrmng!” The Lucario shook her head somewhat. The water was quite cool, cooler than she had expected.

            “Aura?” Misty asked behind her.

            “What?” Aura growled through the towel as she dried her face.

            “We were talking…ya know…before you woke up.”

            “That wasn’t all you were doing,” the Lucario muttered under her breath.

            “What?”

            “Nothing,” Aura grimaced. “What do I care?”

            “About you.”

            “What?”

            “We were talking about you,” Misty said softly. “Trying to figure you out, you know?”

            “What’s there to figure out?” Aura didn’t see how it really mattered to them.

            “What did you mean when you mentioned that you had a family?”

            “You know, blood relations,” Aura thought it should be obvious. “Others in your gene pool, people like that.”

            “Did you have…a mate?” Misty hesitated.

            What if Aura didn’t quite trust her, not enough, not just yet?  
  
            “I don’t know what you’re smoking,” Aura growled. “But I’ve never had a mate.”  
  
            “Aura?” Misty was taken aback by the Lucario’s sudden harshness.  
  
            Didn’t Aura know that the Water Trainer was her friend?  
  
            “Never!” Aura repeated. Then, the sharpness of her voice seemed to sink in, and the Lucario grimaced in remorse. “Just,” she turned around. “Just…leave me alone….” And the Lucario slinked out of the room without another word.

            “Oh, Aura…” Misty sighed. “I wish you would let yourself trust us. You don’t have to bear your pain alone, whatever it may be.”  
  
            “What’s her problem?” Ash was still watching over his shoulder as he came into the room.

            “She’s still not sure about us.”

            Misty hesitated.  
  
            _Us._

            _I think we might have a problem._  
  
            “Ash…”  
  
            “Misty,” Ash didn’t seem to hear her whisper. “We need to talk.”


	12. Struggle

The moon shone above the mountains, like a spirit ascending to the heavens. Aura looked up, the platinum light illuminating her face.

            She didn’t understand why they couldn’t just leave her alone. She didn’t bug them about _their_ past, did she? No. She had promised Hikari that she would help the Chosen One, so she would, and that was the end of it. She would fulfill her word, and then go back to living in peace. They would forget about her. That was the way humans were.

            “They’ll forget,” Aura muttered, “just like they always do. It’s just how they deal.”  
  
            “ _And how do_ you _deal_?” Pikachu’s voice startled the Lucario.

            “Why aren’t you with Ash?” Aura was surprised to see the little mouse Pokémon so far away from his human friend.

            “ _He and Misty need to talk. Alone._ ”

            “I suppose they do. I only hope they don’t kill each other.”

            “ _Yes, God forbid they cheat you out of that pleasure yourself_ ,” Pikachu smirked.

            Aura hesitated.

            “Yeah,” she nodded, before looking back up at the moon.

            “ _You didn’t answer my question_.”

            “I…” Aura looked down at her feet. “I remember. I remember everything…in sharp detail, as if it happened two seconds ago.”

            “ _They won’t forget you_.”

            “You’re just…”

            “ _I know them, Aura_ ,” Pikachu reassured her. “ _They won’t forget you. But, it’s up to you_ how _they’ll remember._ ”

            “I,” Aura started. “I don’t…”

            “ _I never forgot you._ ”

            “What?”

            “ _I never forgot what you did for me that night, all those years ago,_ ” Pikachu whispered, “ _before I came under the care of Professor Oak. Arceus knows what they would have done if they had caught me. But, you, a little Riolu at the time, risked your own life to create a distraction._ ”

            “And it cost those two people their lives,” Aura snarled bitterly. “I remember the crash. I can still see the flames of the explosion. Two motorcycles versus that time bomb on wheels. I still have no idea how you survived.”

            “ _They threw me off of the motorcycle I was on mere moments before the impact. I still might not have made it the rest of the way if your father hadn’t gotten me to the checkpoint himself._ ”

            “My father,” Aura’s voice sounded hollow. “If I had listened to my father, they might still be alive.”

            “ _Or, maybe, we might all be dead_ ,” Pikachu countered. When Aura did not respond, the electric mouse left her to her solitude. He was confident that the work that he and Misty had been doing to become her friend was starting to work.

            Aura was becoming less and less feral every day, and was becoming more and more like her old self.

            _Now all it takes is to convince Ash of that…_

 

…

 

“We need to talk,” Ash said in as calm a tone as he could manage.

            “Yeah,” Misty looked away, trying not to blush.

            “That was…” Ash looked for a way to word it correctly. He didn’t want to insult her, because that usually involved him getting hit afterward. Hard. He also didn’t want her to think that he liked her. It might ruin their friendship. If she didn’t like him back, it would cause a huge feeling of awkwardness between them, and there was enough tension between them lately as it was. She was his _best friend_ , and he didn’t want to lose that. And, even if by some miracle she _did_ like him like that…odds were that it wouldn’t last. Then, their friendship would still be ruined, becoming awkward and strained at best and completely destroyed and shattered at worst. Besides, it wasn’t as if he _really_ wanted anything more than close friendship from Misty.

            Did he?

            “I wasn’t thinking,” Ash started.

            “Do you ever?” Misty grinned.

            “Funny. What I’m trying to say is that…I didn’t realize what was going on. I-I didn’t mean to…you know.”

            Misty tried to take that in. What was he saying?

            “I’m sorry.” He muttered.

            He didn’t have time to worry about girls, Ash decided. Maybe one day…maybe. But, for now he had this crazy quest to deal with, and then it was back to his journey to become a Pokémon Master. That was who he was.

            How could he have ever thought–for even an instant–that he might want to give that up?

            “It’s okay, Ash,” Misty found her voice, shaky as it was. “There…there’s n-nothing to be s-sorry for; you got caught up in the moment. I…I did too.”

            Ash nodded. That…he could live with that explanation.

            At least for now.

            “We’re sixteen,” Misty went on. “Adolescence is a very…hormonal time during a person’s life. And, the only person of the opposite sex we’ve had around during the past couple of weeks has been each other. So, it’s just our hormones seeking out the closest human, not us actually…” she trailed off.

            But, that would be a lie, wouldn’t it? At least, it was for her. She already wanted more. But, he did not reciprocate those feelings.

            Perhaps he never would.

            “So, we’re okay?” Ash made a brief and silent prayer.

            “Yeah, we’re okay,” Misty nodded.

            Neither of them were one hundred percent convinced that it was the end of it, but they were comforted by the fact that their friendship wasn’t in any immediate danger.

            “Pikapi?” Pikachu slowly walked in. He tilted his head somewhat, a concerned look in his eyes.

            “Nothing’s wrong, Pikachu.” Ash smiled cheerfully, and sat on the bed. The electric mouse joined suite, rubbing his cheeks against his master’s side in affection. Misty grinned in amusement.

            _There is_ one _living creature Ash loves above all things_ , she thought to herself. _I suppose it’s rather fitting that it’s Pikachu._

            _I just wish…_

            Aura limped into the room, dragging her foot behind her. The pain in her ankle had simply become too much to bear, even for her. She sat down on the bed next to Ash and Pikachu, not even noticing they were there.

            First the returning guilt and now this? What had she done in a past life to deserve this one?

            She just wanted to be left alone!

            “Aura?” Misty’s eyebrows furrowed in fear for her friend.

            “I’m fine,” Aura growled defensively.

            “No, you’re not,” Misty knelt in front of her. “How long has-?”

            “It’s nothing!” She jerked her foot back, before Misty could touch it.

            “No, it’s not,” Ash agreed with Misty. “You _did_ hurt yourself yesterday, when you-”

            “I’m not hurt,” Aura glared at him. “I’m perfectly fine.”

            _Stop pretending to care! You’re not…you’ll never be! Stop acting like…_

            “Go away!” Aura swiped a paw at Ash’s face, the tip ever so glazing his nose. When the smell of blood hit her nose- _his_ blood-she stared at him wide-eyed for a moment.

            “Aura?” Misty breathed.

            Aura seemed frozen in place, staring at Ash with what appeared to be fear.

            _What…what have I done?_

            She stood up and stared for another moment, before tearing out of the room. She stumbled about the hall for a few seconds, and then fell forward to the ground. She struggled to push her face and torso up and away from the floor. Weakened to exhaustion, she collapsed to her side. She bent her knee, bringing her bad ankle up and grabbing it with both paws.

            Why was this happening? What…what had she _become_?

            “Aura.”

            Arms were wrapped around her, and Aura no longer had the will to struggle against them.

            Misty gently lifted the Lucario, slowly and carefully taking her back into the room. Misty then set her on the bed-Ash was now standing next to it, staring at the floor, a slight red spot of blood on his nose tip. Aura sat up a bit, positioning her arms slightly behind her for support.

            “Misty,” Aura started.

            “You hurt your ankle,” Misty knelt next to the bed. “Did you break it or sprain it?”

            “Uh…”

            Before Aura could answer, Ash took a step towards Aura, and placed his hand on her ankle. The Lucario hissed in pain, but made no other move.

            “Not broken. You’d be in much more pain. It’s probably just a really irritated minor strain.”

            “Since when have you been a doctor?” Misty narrowed her eyes.

            “Just experience,” Ash shrugged. “I broke my leg when I was eight,” he added sheepishly.

            “How?” Misty asked.

            “Gary dared me to climb to the roof of my house,” Ash chuckled nervously.

            “And if Gary Oak dared you to jump into a volcano, you couldn’t resist a chance to show him up,” Misty shook her head.

            “Well, we’ve pretty much buried the hatchet now,” he shrugged.

            “Buried the hatchet? Ash Ketchum, have you actually been _reading_?”

            “Aw, shaddup, Mist, I read ple-”

            “Gary… _Oak_?” Aura’s voice interrupted Ash’s retort. “Is he…is he related to Samuel?”

            “Professor Oak?” Ash blinked in surprise. “Yeah, Gary’s his grandson.”

            “What…what about his parents?”

            “I don’t really know. I was really little when they died. In a car crash, Mom told me. Gary doesn’t really talk about it, and his sister left a couple of years later and didn’t return home until-according to the Professor-just a few days ago.”

            “Have you met Professor Oak?” Misty asked.

            “Once,” Aura said hesitantly. “A…a long time ago.” Then, very quietly, she added, “A very long time ago.”

            “I wonder why he didn’t recognize you, then,” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “I was a Riolu then,” Aura explained. “And…I was different.”

            “Where did you meet him?” Ash asked. “At his lab?”

            “No.” Aura reached for her sore ankle. “Geez,” she hissed.

            “It’s pretty swollen,” Ash muttered. “I guess we’re gonna have to ask Odin who…wait.” Ash turned around, and headed towards where their packs were, lying in a corner of the room. He knelt next to his, and started digging around in it. Standing up, he pulled out the Support Orb, still wrapped up in its protective cloth.

            “Ash?” Misty didn’t get it, yet.

            “What element is Recover, again?”

            “N-Normal,” Aura stammered. Was he going to…?

            “Then, shouldn’t I be able to use the Orb to…to use Recover?”

            “ _But, that’s used to heal one_ self _, not to heal others_ ,” Pikachu twitched his ears.

            “But, it’s the Orb of _Support_ ,” Ash countered. “We have to at least _try_.”

            “Maybe if she touches it at the same time!” Misty suddenly made a revelation.

            “Yeah!” Ash grinned. “That should do it!”

            “ _Don’t forget, you have to give her permission, or however Saki put it_ ,” Pikachu reminded them.

            Ash nodded, before holding the Orb out to Aura, closing his eyes. Aura looked at it, and hesitated.

            “It’s okay, Aura. It won’t hurt you.”

            _…An overloading surge of pure energy, ripping you apart molecule by molecule, until all that’s left is a horribly mangled corpse…._

            Aura gulped. What if….

            _What if your ankle is far more injured than you think? You know that even a minor injury can result in death, particularly in your lifestyle._

            Aura knew that voice.

            She placed her paw on top of the Orb.

            A bright light surged from the Orb, causing everyone in the room to clench their eyes in shock and pain.

            _Aura,_ a strange voice echoed in the Lucario’s mind.

            The light faded.

            “It’s gone!” Aura opened her eyes.

            “Hmm?” Ash hummed as he and the others slowly did the same.

            “The pain is gone!” Aura couldn’t believe it. She leapt off of the bed, nearly knocking Ash over as she landed on the ground. “My ankle isn’t in pain! It’s not swollen or sprained or broken, or anything!” Aura tested it by stamping her paw rather rashly. “It works!”

            _She’s…she’s laughing…_ Ash wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, giving her a reason to laugh like that. _But, at least maybe she’ll feel she owes me enough to not attack me…again…_

            _Aura’s finally let herself smile…_ Misty couldn’t suppress one of her own.

            “I…” Aura turned to face Ash. “Hmm,” her expression sobered, returning to her usual grimace and glare. She started to walk out of the room.

            “You’re welcome,” Ash smiled.

            Aura stopped in the doorway, her left paw leaning against the frame. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, her glare softening ever so slightly. With a barely noticeable, curt nod, she left the others alone.

            “I daresay she’s starting to like you, Ash,” Misty grinned.

            “I just hope Odin doesn’t expect me to fight _her_ anytime soon,” he shrugged. “At least neither he nor Godric will kill me.”

            “Aura won’t either, Ash,” Misty placed a hand on his shoulder. “In fact, that might be part of why she thinks she hates you: she knows she doesn’t have it in her to kill you, though she thinks she wants to.”

            “Hey,” Nyx walked in. “Who was laughing?”

 

…

 

“Geez!” Ash inhaled sharply, jerking his head to the right to avoid the flying punch.

            The night before had ended quite peacefully after healing Aura’s ankle…relatively, anyway. After Nyx heard he had missed out on seeing Aura not only smile, but actually laugh, he was in a silent, gloomy mood for the rest of the night. Pikachu was amused by this, but said nothing, only smiling to himself. Misty was in a positive mood, which was a relief to Ash, particularly after the tension that had started to build between them.

            In fact, shortly after, Odin had come into their room, along with a few other Fighting Pokémon, all with various parts to put up not only a couple of cots, but a whole second bed.

            “What…?” Misty had asked in confusion.

            “I must apologize to you, my lady,” the male Lucario had bowed his head slightly. “I have little knowledge of human ways. From what I _have_ learned, I rashly assumed that you and the Chosen One were…pre-mates, or whatever the human term is.”

            “Uh…” Misty and Ash had stolen a glance at each other, their faces flushing a little.

            “While mates do not usually have an issue sharing sleeping arrangements, I understand that you, as merely platonic friends, will. Since there are no other empty rooms capable of being used at this point in time, I arranged to have a second bed brought in for you, lady, and two cots, one each for Aura and Nyx, if they should so prefer to sleep on one.”

            “Uh,” Ash had hesitated, taking a second to process what Odin had said, as the Lucario spoke a little more…eloquently than he was used to hearing. At least, in everyday conversation. “Thanks,” the trainer had finally nodded.

            “We…we appreciate it, Odin,” Misty had smiled in agreement. “Thank you.”

            “Where…where is Aura?” Odin had glanced about. “It isn’t wise for someone of her… temperament to wander around here. Some of our inhabitants are…violent when irritated or disturbed.”

            Ash had filled the Fighting Sage in on how he had healed her, and on her reaction.

            “Interesting,” Odin had pressed his paws together in a thoughtful manner. “So you _are_ indeed capable of wielding the Elements. This is most…promising.” He had glanced at the human, who had a strange expression on his face. “Well, I shall retire for the night. I suggest you do the same, you and Aura. You both have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and shall need your strength. Good night.”

            And with a bow, the Sage and his followers had departed from the room.

            Aura had returned sometime during the night, as she was nowhere to be seen when the others had gone to bed, but was sleeping peacefully in her cot when Ash woke up in the morning.

            And, after a short breakfast, Ash and Aura were taken for more…training, though Ash preferred to think of it as torture and insanity. He was now in a sparring match with a freaking Blaziken, for Christ’s sake! There was no way that he could hold his own against a creature that was not only born and bred a Fighting type, but raised and trained with the best to be at least _among_ the best.

            Ash had no idea how they could expect him–a human, damn it, not a Pokémon–to keep up and fight on the same level as…as the second-most powerful Fighting Pokémon in the world.

            Ash barely avoided another punch, Godric’s wrist fur just brushing against Ash’s nose.

            “Jesus!” Ash breathed. “Are you _trying_ to kill me?”

            “You have pads on your wrists and ankles, designed to block my attacks easier and to soften the blow,” Godric pointed to the blocky, foam-like objects tied to Ash in said places. “This gives you a much better chance of being able to deflect my blows with little to no damage to yourself. At least, until you gain enough stamina and strength to fight me on your own.”

            “And when I do?” Ash asked.

            “Then, you will be able to challenge Odin for the chance to take the Test,” Godric said simply. “Now, block this!”

            Ash lifted his right hand just in time to block the incoming blow. A jolt of pain shot through his wrist and up his arm.

            “God damn!” He barked in shock. “You broke it! You broke my Goddamn hand!” He shook it, clearly proving it to not be broken, just pained.

            Godric chuckled.

            At the other end of the Sparring Hall, Odin and Aura were fighting themselves. Though, Odin was adamant about using actual Fighting Attacks, not just physical, normal combat like Ash and Godric were working on.

            “Come on!” Odin yelled. “Use an Attack! You did last night! Prove to me that you don’t have to be delusional and desperate.”

            “Desperate!” Aura echoed. “You have no idea what it means to be desperate!” She swiped her paw at him in anger.

            “You must have been desperate to save…him…weren’t you?”

            “YOU BASTARD!” Aura flung herself so close to him that he actually tried to step back in reaction, and then starting hitting and striking him with her paws and feet.

            “Close Combat,” Odin identified the Attack when it died down. “Very nice…and even somewhat impressive. You’ve been well-trained.”

            “I’ve never had a trainer,” Aura said instantly.

            “Then, where…?”

            “Desperation,” Aura smirked.

            Without another word, Odin threw straight punches at her in an Arm Thrust attack, missing twice, but hitting her in the cheek on the third strike, causing her to turn and fall somewhat. She retaliated by spinning herself, upside down, upon one paw, hitting Odin in the face three times with a Triple Kick, before righting herself in a ready fighting stance. Odin clenched his paw and tossed another punch at Aura, energy radiating from the Dynamicpunch attack. Aura blocked it with her right paw spike, a slight purple light sparking from the impact.

            _Detect again_ , Odin noted. _She seems rather fond of that one. I wonder why…_

            Aura slapped Odin across the face, the energy unique to Fighting abilities burning into his skin from where she stuck him.

            “Force Palm?” Odin rubbed his cheek in surprise. “A little low-leveled compared to what you’ve been using, but…at least you’re Attacking now.”

            “I’m…I’m Attacking?” Aura stopped.

            _I haven’t used a real Attack since…_

            Aura shook her head and the memory.

            Odin jumped in close to Aura and kicked upward with his knee, getting her in her chest spike, knocking her back a few feet.

            “Ungh!” Aura moaned in pain, clenching her chest for a moment.

            “Hmm?” Odin didn’t think he’d hurt her _that_ bad.

            “Raaargh!” Aura swiped her paw in his direction again, but instead of hitting him directly, star-shaped energy pulses issued from her paw. The Swift attack caught Odin off-guard and he got the full blast of it in his face.

            She wasn’t afraid to fight dirty.

            She stood up, and shot another wave of Swift at him.

            Odin swung his paw in front of his face, so that his paw spike would absorb the attack, glowing silver as it did with Iron Defense.

            “You’ve…you’ve always been more than capable, haven’t you?” Odin narrowed his eyes. “Why did you stop using Abilities? Why did you ever convert to crude street fighting in the first place?”

            “LEAVE ME ALONE!” Aura bellowed, swinging her arms in a Bone Rush, the large bone appearing out of nowhere, as usual. Odin took a casual step to his right to easily evade the attack, and then swung himself upward in a Sky Uppercut, hitting his target perfectly-the underside of Aura’s jaw-and sent her flying backwards. She landed on the floor with an audible thud.

            “No,” Odin grinned.

            “Jesus!” Ash breathed, distracted by their fight for a moment. “Wha!” He exclaimed, as he jumped to the left just in time to avoid a punch from Godric.

 

…

 

“So,” Misty started. “You’re an Ursaring, a Normal Pokémon, yet you live here at the Fighting Temple?”

            “Yes,” the Ursaring nodded, twirling a spatula around in his right paw. “I was originally an orphan when the Sage before Odin took me in. Here, I learned and perfected what Fighting Abilities I was capable of, while I started to discover my true place was here, in the kitchen. I’ve been the head cook here at this Temple for over four years now.”

            The Temple’s kitchen was rather simple, a large room with a very large table in the middle, a series of sinks on one wall, and a row of ovens of varying sizes on the side opposite. There was a door near the wall with the sinks that lead to the storeroom, from which many aromas of herbs and berries and meats wafted.

            “And, what’s your name?” Misty asked, Pikachu looking about from his spot on her shoulder.

            “I’m Trad. Being the cook, I’m also quite often the one that…punishes those in need of discipline with hard work. In fact, that troublesome Hitmontop is in the back now, grinding some of the harder berries into a more useable powder for tonight’s dinner.”

            “I’m Misty.”

            “Pika Pikachu!”

            “You’re the Chosen One’s…friends?”

            “Yeah,” Nyx muttered, pacing back and forth.

            “What’s wrong there, Sapphire Moon?” Trad scratched his chin.

            “Ka-Pichu,” Pikachu whispered.

            “Don’t worry about Aura, Nyx,” Misty knelt down next to where the Shiny Umbreon stopped. “She’ll be fine. Sage or not, she lived on her own for three years. Surely, she can take care of herself.”

            “But…” Nyx’s ears flattened against his head. “What if…? She couldn’t protect…her family? Her mate.”

            “Oh, Nyx,” Misty scratched the top of his head, by his ear. “Be careful who you let yourself fall in love with. And, we don’t know if she could, or not. Or if she even _had_ a mate, for sure. It’s all just theory, right now. We’ll just have to wait and see if she’ll tell us the truth one day.”

            “I just…I _know_ she still has a heart somewhere under all that pain and hate and anger,” Nyx looked away.

            “And she’ll find it one day.”

            “You seemed kind of…off last night,” Nyx perked up suddenly with a smile. “Anything happen?”

            “Huh?” The Umbreon’s sudden question caught Misty off guard. She had to shake the memory of his arms around her, his forehead against hers, his soft breath on her face. “No, nothing happened. I must have just been tired.”

            “Well, okay then,” Nyx shrugged. “C’mon!” He grinned even brighter. “Let’s go check out the reflecting pool!” He dashed out the door.

            “Nyx,” Misty chuckled to herself.

            “ _Indeed_ ,” Pikachu agreed.

            “That boy has always been quite energetic and cheerful,” Trad nodded. “It’s rather ironic for a Dark Pokémon to remain so positive in nature, particularly with having a Sage for a parent.”

            “His father was the Night Sage?”

            “Yes, the one before Nila. Zyne was a good Sage. But, even retired as an Elder Sage living in Hikari’s Keep, he is still often a source of gossip amongst the Sages for having taken a mate.”

            “What does that matter?”

            “Favoritism,” Trad said simply. “The Sages work as directly with the highest and purest source of Elemental prowess as any mortal can. And, many believe that the control of that power, as well as the succession of its…control…must remain as objective as possible.”

            “They think that…love… _corrupts_ the ability to be _objective_?” Misty was horrified.

            “No,” Trad shook his head. “And yes. Deep down, they do not. However, upon the surface, they know that we always put the ones we love above all else, and use this as their excuse for hating any Sage that does not name them as their successor. It is simply vanity and jealousy. Any historian can tell you that some of the greatest Sages of any Element in our history were ones that not only took a mate, but raised a family. Love teaches self-sacrifice and generosity, something very important to our Order.”

            “I…I see.” Misty did not make eye contact.

            “Why don’t you go and see the reflecting pool with Nyx?” Trad waved towards the door out to the hall. “And, don’t worry about the Chosen One. He’ll be fine. It is said that the Chosen has hidden powers that sleep until the presence of an Orb awakens them.”

            “Oh…okay,” Misty nodded, before following his advice.

            “The Chosen One might be young,” Trad said to himself, starting to carefully chop up Pecha Berries into small cubes, “but he has some of the most loving friends. They will be the source of his greatest power, not the Elements. And there is something special about the female Lucario, too. She holds in her heart a secret of great power. I only hope that it is one that will strengthen the Chosen One, not bring him down to defeat.”

 

…

 

Silver had no knowledge of the prophecy of the Chosen One. He wouldn’t have cared if he did.

            The only things on his mind at that moment were his bodyguards, and the Pokéball hidden in an interior pocket of his jacket. 44-7-8 was a very large Arcanine. His fur’s length hid some of the highly-developed muscles under his skin, suggesting just a hint of how dangerous he was. H66-3-4 was a tall man, with huge arms, a well-developed chest, a broad, flat chin, short-cut tan hair, and a rather blank stare with an angry grimace.

            Silver hated them. He could usually give them the slip, but lately they seemed extra-determined to keep him under very close-surveillance. He only had one option if he wanted rid of them. It wasn’t the smartest idea but…he was desperate to get out and spend some time training Fang.

            “I’ll be back,” Silver started to head down the hall to his room.

            “ _Young Master_ ,” 44-7-8 started growling. “ _You are to remain in our sight. Your father_ ….”

            “My father doesn’t need to know,” Silver shot him a glare of pure malice. “C’mon! Can’t a guy have _five minutes_ to himself?”

            “ _You have a nasty habit of_ -” 44-7-8 snarled.

            “Relax, snappy,” H66-3-4 shrugged casually from his place on an over-sized chair in the living room. “Have fun, squirt!” He chuckled darkly.

            With a grimace, Silver slunk into his room, locking the door behind him.

            _Crude and disgusting_ , Silver thought bitterly to himself. _At least his revolting assumption will buy me some time_.

            Silver crossed over to his window. His room was on the second floor, making the jump from the window less than appealing, particularly since he enjoyed having the ability to walk. But, desperation was getting the better of him. He opened the window, feeling the warm light of the sun upon his face. He looked down. It wasn’t the smartest idea he’d had, to say the least, but it would be worth it.

            _What if I fall?_

            _I won’t let you fall, Silver_ , A soft memory of a voice whispered in his mind.

            With a sad smile, he got up and sat on the windowsill. Then, he carefully held on as he slowly lowered himself out the window. His foot found an imperfection in the brick wall of the house, and he stabled himself on it as a foothold. He gingerly let go of the window, and quickly grabbed the somewhat exposed bricks around him. He exhaled slowly, and inhaled sharply. It had been so long since he last did this. He turned slightly, seeing the window to his right. Hopefully…it was worth it.

            He swayed slightly, before throwing himself over towards the window, reaching for the top of the frame. His hand slipped, and he started to fall straight down, barely grabbing the bottom part of the frame in time, struggling to hold on. He stared in the window and right into the eyes of Mondo. And the back of two heads. One was Domino.

            The other was his father.

            “Help!” Silver moaned, hoping Mondo wouldn’t give him away. His grip was slipping, and he was having difficulty holding on. Surely Giovanni would turn around to see what that loud noise was and to see why it had surprised Mondo. The fact that he hadn’t was a surprise and a Godsend. The door of the room opened, and Dagger also entered the room, stopping in shock at the sight of Silver hanging in the window.

            “Oh, shit!” Silver gasped, as he completely lost his grip and fell the rest of the way down. “Mother of God!” He exclaimed loudly as he landed on his side with an audible thud. He slowly sat up. “Oh, damn. Oh, I’m okay.” He finally sighed, more out of surprise than true relief. “That hurt.” He looked up at the window. “I better make like a Ponyta and dash, before the bastard decides to look out his window,” Silver stood up, and ran down the street.

            “What was that?” Giovanni turned around, looking out the window.

            “Oh, it was just a Honchkrow,” Mondo shrugged.

            “It was fighting a Fearow over something,” Dag nodded.

            “Hmm,” Giovanni decided to buy it. For now.

            Dag and Mondo exchanged glances, the latter chuckling nervously.

            “I’ve brought the two of you here to discuss with both an officer and a grunt-though I usually don’t have time for the latter-the proposition of a new Elite.”

            “Oh, please tell me it’s not Bill…er, Bob…Brandon…no…Ben, er, Bart? Or was it Brett, er, Brice? Bud?”

            “Butch?” Domino sighed in frustration.

            “Yeah!” Mondo lit up with a grin. “He’s a real pain in the ass!”

            “Then you’ll be glad to hear that it won’t be him,” Giovanni would have once smiled at the teen’s statement. But not anymore. “No, the person we’ll be discussing is my son.”

 

...

 

Ash was finally making progress. As if by some miracle, his reflexes seemed to catch up with the speed of Godric’s attacks, and he was able to block nearly every attack by sunset. Aura was slumped against a wall, exhausted, wondering where the boy found the strength to keep on fighting. Granted, over six years of traveling would have increased his stamina, but this was…inhuman.

            “It would seem that the Chosen One’s hidden instincts are awakening,” Odin smirked.

            “What?” Aura didn’t have the energy to stand anymore, or she would have shot right up.

            “Legend says that the Chosen One has the instincts and abilities of every Element coursing through his veins, but that they lay dormant until he comes into contact with the corresponding Orb.” Odin looked at her, then Ash. “Godric! Enough!”

            The Blaziken obeyed instantly, stopping and turning to look at the Sage.

            “Odin?”

            “Chosen One,” The Lucario said in a dark tone.

            “Ash?” Misty walked in with Pikachu and Nyx to watch their friend.

            “Excellent timing, friends,” Odin smiled mysteriously. “You are about to witness a fight of legends. The Fighting Sage, Master of his Element, against the Chosen One, the human destined to bring them all together.” The Lucario took a step towards Ash.

            _If he challenges you, you must accept. To deny the Sage's challenge is to forfeit._ Nyx’s voice echoed in Ash’s mind. He nodded bravely, though a feeling deep in his stomach told him that he was screwed.

            “But, you must discard your training pads from your wrists and ankles,” Odin, waved a paw towards the said objects. “This is a sparring match, not a training session. Not anymore.”

            “Good luck, Chosen One,” Godric said solemnly as Ash discarding the pads. The Blaziken then walked over to the wall to stand and watch with the others.

            “Thanks,” Ash muttered half-heartedly.

            “Prepare yourself,” Odin smirked, taking a step towards Ash. Then, without another word, he dashed at the human with full speed, and swinging a Karate Chop attack at him. Ash managed to swing himself to the side in time to avoid most of the attack, but it still brushed against his arm.

            _Good God, what have I gotten myself into_?

            “Ash!” Misty exclaimed in fear for her friend.

            “Pikapi!”

            “This is nothing!” Ash yelled to reassure them. “I’m not afraid of him, or anything, for that matter.”

            “Oh, Ash,” Misty shook her head.

            “You’re not, are you?” Odin hit Ash in the stomach with an extremely quick Mach Punch.

            “Ahhhgh!” Ash stumbled backwards, the wind knocked right out of him.

            “Oh, dear,” Nyx’s ears wilted.

            “RRRRRRRAAAAAAAARGH!” Odin roared, jumping up and bringing both paws down with great force in a Brick Break.

            “Nnngh!” Ash got the full blast of it on the top of his head. An instant headache soared through his thoughts, his vision blurring momentarily.

            “Some Chosen One,” Odin snarled. “Can’t even use a Fighting Attack. You’re pathetic and weak. The forces that Marked you as the Chosen chose poorly.”

            Anger swelled in Ash’s chest.

            “Time to end this,” Odin continued. “Even the girl knows that you can’t win.”

            _Misty_.

            Odin raised his hands, preparing an Aura Sphere.

            “ARGH!” Ash roared, suddenly throwing himself at Odin, hitting the Lucario in the chest with both fists.

            “Ungh!” Odin fell back and hit the ground.

            Every other sparring match in the hall halted. Every set of eyes was on Ashura Ketchum.

            Someone had made the great Odin, strongest Sage of the Fighting Element in centuries, greatest master of the art of Struggle in generations, fall like he had been an infant. A newcomer, a young blood, had bested the Orb’s Guardian, if only for a moment. And, that wasn’t the most shocking.

            A human had just used a Pokémon Attack.

            On his own.

            “Arceus above!” Godric breathed. “It’s true! The legends are…true!”

            “He…he used Revenge?” Nyx gasped. “Or was it Counter?”

            “Revenge,” Aura slowly stood up, struggling to keep on her feet.

            “A Fighting Attack?” Odin breathed in surprise. “But…you don’t have the Orb. No human can use an Attack, not without the proper Orb, at least.”

            “I’m the Chosen One,” Ash grinned, hiding his own surprise. What happened? How did he do that? What _was_ he?

            “Do it again.” Odin stood up. “Attack me. Try to use a simple Force Palm.”

            “I…I don’t know how I did that.” Ash said honestly. “I just…did.”

            “Maybe if I threaten you again,” Odin prepared some sort of attack, swinging his right paw back.

            Before it could swing forward again to attack, a blue blur sped past, knocking Odin back on his tail again.

            “What the hell?” Ash breathed.

            “Extremespeed?” Odin blinked.

            “Aura!” Misty smiled.

            The female Lucario had somehow found the strength to dash-quite literally-to Ash’s rescue. She was using her paw to hold herself up, barely able to stand, but had-for some reason that was beyond her-decided to protect the Chosen One from Odin.

            _What?_ Aura’s mind froze. _What did I just do?_ She turned slightly, seeing Ash behind her. _Why?_

            “Aura,” Odin stood up. “Why did you interrupt?”

            “You never said it was one-on-one,” Aura thought quickly, her mind jumpstarted. “Frankly, a simple human, Chosen One or not, against the great Fighting Sage just…isn’t fair. I’m just… trying to even the odds a little. Besides,” Aura raised her clenched paws, “I’ve got dibs on him.”

            “Huh,” Odin chuckled to himself.

            Aura jumped back a short distance, before tensing her body, bending her knees in preparation of some Attack.

            “Humph!” Odin used a Protect attack, preparing _himself_ for her next attack.

            Aura grinned, before dashing forward…

            …And vanishing.

            “Huh?” Odin didn’t expect that. Faint Attack, maybe? No….

            He understood.

            _How could I be so stupid to fall_ …?

            Aura reappeared just as she slammed into Odin’s back.

            “Feint,” Nyx identified the Attack. “It only works to its full ability when the opponent is using Protect or Detect, or similar.”

            “I thought that Aura would have a much more difficult time, particularly considering how exhausted she was,” Misty muttered.

            “We all have a strange power within, one that we can only tap into when we’re protecting the ones we care about,” Nyx said wisely. “Never underestimate it.”

            “But, Aura hates Ash,” Misty countered. “Or, at least, she _thinks_ she does.”

            “But, remember our theory. That she once had a mate or at least a loved one,” Nyx reminded her. “Maybe Ash reminds her of him, whoever or whatever he is. Maybe that’s why she despises the sight of Ash; not because of Ash himself, but because he brings up memories, which only brings her pain.”

            “ _You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you, Nyx?_ ” Pikachu asked.

            “And you haven’t?”

            “ _I don’t like to over-think things,_ ” Pikachu shrugged.

            “So,” Misty watched the continuing battle, Aura starting to weaken again, and Ash blocking a few attacks even as he took them full blast. “Aura’s not really protecting _Ash_ , not in her mind, but her mate, who he reminds her of?”

            “ _What if_ that’s _wrong?_ ” Pikachu asked. “ _What if it’s not a mate she remembers? What if it’s her father or mother, or a sibling, or a…?_ ” His voice trailed off.

            The words were unsaid, but they echoed in all three minds as if they were.

            _Or a Trainer_?

            “Aura is definitely a skilled battler,” Misty nodded. “Losing her…family must have scarred her, and left her blaming Attacks, and wanting to never have anything to do with them again.”

            “Nngh!” Aura stumbled to her knee. Her temporary power boost had worn off. In desperation, she shot out a dark, pulsating blob from her mouth.

            Odin effortlessly deflected it with a flick of his paw.

            “Dark Pulse?” He grimaced. “You know better than to use Dark Attacks on a Fighting Pokémon.”

            Aura closed her eyes, clenching her teeth.

            _Relax,_ a voice whispered in her head. _Relax, Aura…_

            _Relax your body._

            _Focus…. Focus your thoughts_.

            Aura relaxed every muscle in her body.

            “Hmm?” Odin didn’t understand. Was she giving up, after all that?

            Aura’s mind fought to stay focused, and on one thing.

            Purple energy started to form around her paws, then flickered and died.

            “What?” Nyx gasped. “Was that…?”

            Aura collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

            “Aura?” Ash breathed, struggling to his feet. “What? Why?” He turned to glare at Odin.

            “She fought better than I did, when I first challenged the Sage before me,” Odin never moved his eyes from where she lay. “I lost consciousness within two minutes. Granted, I was but a young Riolu at the time, but still. Even when I finally won, years later, grown and evolved, it was still a long struggle.” He looked at Ash with a grin. “But, that’s fitting of someone who became the _Struggle_ Sage, wouldn’t you say?”

            “Aura struggled her whole life,” Ash countered. “At least…from what I can understand. I think she did it for her family, not for herself. She did it to protect, not to gain _power_ , and that makes her better than you!” Ash threw another punch at Odin, hitting him in the face.

            The male Lucario didn’t even flinch.

            “Mega Punch,” Odin narrowed his eyes. “The Normal Element has woken within you. Not surprising, considering you’ve had the Orb of Support in your possession for at least a few days. But, you’ll have to do better than that.” Odin grabbed Ash in a death grip, one the human couldn’t break free from, despite his best efforts. The Fighting Sage then leapt into the air, spun a few times, and then threw Ash down to the ground in a Seismic Toss.

            Ash had seen the Attack many times, especially when his Charizard had been an active member of his team. But, he’d never felt it himself until that moment. The jolt of pain that shot through him, stunning his body, made him instantly pity every Pokémon that had ever been a victim of the Attack. He simply couldn’t stand up anymore.

            Odin charged an Aura Sphere.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu jumped in-between them, his cheeks sparking with electricity.

            “What?” Odin stopped. “Now you?”

            “ _That’s enough_!” Pikachu growled. “ _He’s had_ enough! _Ash needs rest. He’s simply not a Pokémon. He needs to recover,_ now _._ ”

            Odin grinned softly at the little electric mouse’s fierce love for his Trainer.

            “All right,” Odin nodded. “This fight is over. Godric, take him to his room, so that he may… rest. And have the guests’ dinner brought to their room.”

            “Yes, sir,” the Blaziken nodded curtly. He then gently picked up the human, and started to leave.

            “But,” Misty stepped forward, “what about Aura?”

            “She does not trust strangers, and I have a feeling that having one of my…followers take her will cause far more trouble than it’s worth.”

            “Then,” Misty said half to herself, “I’ll take her myself.”

            The teen girl then picked up Aura’s limp form, and carried the Lucario out, following Godric. Nyx and Pikachu exchanged a glance, before the former followed the Water Trainer to their room. Pikachu stayed to glare at Odin for another moment.

            “Your Trainer has more power than I’m willing to admit to his face,” Odin said softly. “Be sure to watch over him. Even a heart as pure as his can be corrupted by wild power.”

            “ _Ash won’t fall to any darkness that might lie within his heart_ ,” Pikachu said firmly. “ _He is far too loving_ …” And the mouse Pokémon ran after the others.

            “And so was the traitor, before he fell to his own corruption, and killed Hikaru, his own best friend,” Odin whispered ominously to himself.

 

...

 

Aura woke up slowly.

            Where was she? She seemed to be suspended…above the ground. She looked around, realizing she was in her cot back in their room. How did she get there? Did someone _carry_ her?

            She looked around the room. Ash was sleeping soundly in his bed, Misty much more quietly in the one next to his. Pikachu was curled up close to his human Trainer, his ears flicking every so often. Nyx was in the cot between Aura’s and the beds, sleeping on his back, legs and paws in the air, looking almost comical as they twitched every so often, and he muttered a few words here and there as he dreamed. Aura saw a bowl on the ground next to her cot, and picked it up. It had soup in it. A little cold–it must have been there for a while–but its aromas were still appetizing. How long had she been out?

            Aura guzzled the soup, eating it all in a few large gulps. She sat the bowl back down on the ground, trying to not wake the others. She liked the relative silence.

            Why had she fought to protect Ash earlier? Looking at him now, she felt absolutely no desire to defend or guard him. Quite the opposite, that feeling of hate and resentment boiled in her chest again.

            Odin had inspired a similar feeling during the last moments of their fight. And the feeling of resentment was growing. How _dare_ he suggest that he was better than her? He grew up in this freaky Temple, _trained_ to fight. Aura had learned on _her own_ , out of desperation and need. She had learned how to fight not just tough, but smart. She learned how to fight _through_ exhaustion, how to overcome it. She had to.

            _She_ was better. Wasn’t she?

            Aura nodded sharply to herself.

            She would prove it to him, too. To the entire Temple.

            She would make it to the Fighting Shrine, and claim the Orb for herself.

            Aura paused.

            _…An overloading surge of pure energy, ripping you apart molecule by molecule, until all that’s left is a horribly mangled corpse…._

            But, she probably couldn’t touch it. Not unless the _precious Chosen One_ gave her permission or whatever. She wasn’t sure if she believed the Sages’ superstitious who-ha about the Orbs having dangerous magic or whatever, but she wasn’t exactly eager to risk her life to test that out. Particularly not if it would kill her in a manner like that.

            It wasn’t exactly an appetizing notion; she had to admit that, grimacing to herself.

            She tried to plot it out in her mind. The path to the Shrine was probably somewhere in the Temple, which was carved _in_ the mountain. There were probably many tunnels in those caves, but it was probably only Odin-and maybe Godric, maybe-that ever actually visited the Shrine, at least on a frequent, regular basis. She could track his scent. It would lead her straight there, at least in theory. It might also lead her on a wild-goose chase. _That_ would cost valuable time, and increase her chances of being caught.

            Nyx seemed to have some sort of instinctual ability to find Shrines, if the Test at the Normal Shrine was anything to go by. Maybe she should…. No. Nyx would never approve going behind a Sage’s back like that, and particularly not this one. No, filling the Shiny Umbreon in on her plan was a bad idea. And Misty…well, she might not rat her out. But she’d probably go all voice-of-reason and try to talk her out of it or at least refuse to participate. And either would waste valuable time.

            So it was just the Chosen One, then. Aura grimaced. She didn’t like it, but it was the only way the plan would work. _If_ he agreed to it. Should she wake him now? Shouldn’t she make use of what nighttime was left?

            _No_ , she decided. _It’ll take too long, and I have no idea how much moonlight is left before sunrise. I’ll need all the time I can take. And, I’m not exactly well-rested, either. I’ll take tomorrow, take it easy, and build my strength back up. I’ll try to get…the human to do the same. There might be traps or puzzles or Arceus knows what else, and as much as I hate the idea, I will need him to at least live through them-I’m sure I can handle anything this Test throws at me-so that he can take the Orb at the end._

            It was settled in her mind. She would tell him sometime during the day, and pray that he felt even the slightest resentment towards Odin or Godric. Or both. If he did, then that feeling coupled with the teenage instinct of rebellion would play right into her hand perfectly. She smirked to herself. Humans were as easy to manipulate as she remembered.

            All you needed was the right motivation to inspire them into thinking it was _their_ idea, the arrogant bastards. They were all the same, she grimaced sourly again.

            She looked at Misty.

            She remembered her…healing her arm, _helping_ her. She even _thanked_ her for…saving her life before this crazy journey had started.

            Maybe they weren’t _all_ the same. Maybe _she_ was different.

            But she couldn’t let herself trust another creature. Not if she enjoyed having her skull in one piece and her brain unharmed. Her face sobered into a sad expression.

            She lay back in her cot, and willed herself to sleep before the memories could surface.

 

...

 

Ash didn’t get it.

            Aura had been so...well, practically bloodthirsty in her desire to beat Odin into submission the day before.

            And now…she refused to fight. And wouldn’t say why. He figured she was just tired from the previous day’s fight, so was he, but….

            He really didn’t have time to worry about that now, he realized just as he barely dodged another punch from Godric. He had to keep his attention on this sparring match. Just because the Blaziken had said it would be a light one didn’t mean that he could let his mind wander.

            Misty wasn’t watching today. After the last one…no, she couldn’t bear it. She secretly made Godric swear to make sure that Ash didn’t get hurt, at least not seriously, but couldn’t dare watch him risk his life like that. What he had done before, using a Pokémon Attack, she had no way of knowing if it really was some special gift of the Chosen One, or just a power he found within himself during his desperation. Maybe something Odin had said to him just before-she hadn’t been able to hear-had set it off. She couldn’t know.

            She sat outside, by the reflecting pool. Nyx ran up to her.

            “How is she?” Misty asked without looking at him.

            “The same,” Nyx said without surprise. “She’s just standing outside that door, like she’s waiting for someone to come out when they’re done fighting, but she refuses to even really look in, let alone fight.”

            “She’s probably still tired from yesterday,” Misty reached over and scratched Nyx’s ear. “Don’t worry too much about her.”

            “I hope so,” Nyx muttered. “I don’t know what kinds of things she plans, but she certainly has something in mind. I’m not sure what to do.”

            “Nothing,” Misty shrugged. “I know that if there’s something that she doesn’t want to tell us, she won’t, and persisting won’t help. In fact, it might make it worse. If she chooses to trust us, then she does. If not….”

            Misty didn’t know why Aura didn’t trust her. Wasn’t it clear that Aura could? Misty frowned slightly.

            The midday sun glimmered off the water’s surface in a beautiful, golden pattern, but Misty didn’t notice it.

 

...

 

It was almost lunch. Aura knew from the way the sounds of battle had sharply decreased, and of course from the sounds coming from her stomach. Granted, the latter wouldn’t have been as bad if she had eaten a more decent breakfast than the jug of water and what little bread she had managed to consume. Her appetite had been a little…temperamental that morning. She had managed to keep the more…painful memories away the night before, but one managed to rear its ugly head into her dreams.

            It was a hideous monster, a shadow-demon that belonged in the fire and flames of hell. It reminded her a little bit-or, perhaps, a lot-of a Houndoom. It had the same basic shape, a large quadruped canine, and even had the curved horns of a Houndoom. But, it was also far more… grotesque. The horns didn’t curve down quite as much as a Houndoom’s; instead they more resembled the horns of a dragon that had gotten one too many blows to the head. The face, the muzzle, the head, in fact, pretty much the entire body was covered in long, black fur that looked both unkempt and knotted in many places. There were some spots that the fur didn’t grow, where large, scaly silver ridges grew on the…creature’s shoulders, knees, and neck. The ones on the neck made it nearly impossible to slit the beast’s throat, not that one could make it that close to it. No, the fire it breathed-not normal fire, but black, and yet colorful at the same time, as if it were a flame from a different world, from the world beyond this one-it had the ability to burn like nothing else, chilling the body as the heat consumed, with a paralyzing effect that made it hard to struggle, made it hard to _want_ to extinguish, to save oneself. The fangs and claws were overly long and ragged looking, having a nearly serrated appearance, and the long, whip like tail was covered, from the halfway point down to the tip, in many, large, poisonous tips, ending with a very long, knife-like blade. No, it more resembled a dagger mixed with a scorpion’s barb, sharp and metallic, but curved and almost natural. Almost.

            But it was the eyes-oh, dear God, the _eyes_ -that made Aura sick. They were red, as one would have been guessed, but despite their glowing feel, they were not a _bright_ red. Oh, no. They were a dark, deep red, nearly black. And creepily enough, they had a tendency to have a flash of dark goldenrod swirl within them, perhaps when the…thing felt-if it could truly _feel_ -a surge of pleasure in its own blood thirst. Those eyes seemed to hold within them the entirety of the fires, the pain, the darkness, the greed, the eternity, the corruption, the overwhelming _evil_ of Hell.

            And worse, was the thought of the dark master that commanded this beast, and had, according to sinister legend, actually _created_ the beast.

            Aura clenched her eyes shut, trying to forget the hideous things. She had to concentrate on tonight. The present mattered, not the past. The past was a reminder, yes, but for now, she’d have to focus on the task at hand.

            Namely sneaking to the Shrine. Well, getting the Chosen One to agree first, but mostly the Shrine.

            _And, judging by the conversations in that room,_ Aura thought to herself, _I’ll be getting a chance to do that in mere moments_.

            And, as if on cue from her very thoughts, Pokémon started to come out of the room, in slight groups more than in an actual line. When no one else seemed to come out after Godric, Aura grimaced in concern. Did she mess up? Did the human come out with the others, hidden because she was looking for him with the Blaziken? She considered stealing a glance into the room, but hesitated. Maybe he was just too tired to keep up.

            Then, she heard the footsteps. Heavy and irregular. Yeah, he was tired. Aura tensed herself, and just as he came through the doorway, she leapt at him, grabbing him from behind, and muffling his cry of shock by covering his mouth with both paws.

            “Shut up, human,” Aura hissed in his ear. “Just shut up. And listen to me. You’re going to eat lunch with the others like nothing is wrong. Then, you’re gonna get yourself out of your little training spats for the rest of the day. Say you’re strangely drained, or tired, or whatever the hell you like. I don’t give a damn. Just get out of it, and meet me in the library. It’s easy enough for even _you_ to find. Just head back this way from the mess hall, but go a few doors past this room. It’s impossible to miss, even for your inferior, human sight. Don’t argue. I’ll explain then. And bring me some apples. I need to eat, too.”

            “Geez,” Ash broke out of her grip, which she had lessened. “Are you even _capable_ of having a civilized conversation?”

            “Are you capable of having an intelligent one?” Aura retorted.

            “I’m smart! I’m plenty-!”

            “Or of _not_ messing up with a girl just as you might actually have a chance?”

            “Why, you…!” Ash lunged at her, suddenly angry. Most people that he knew would have been surprised at his strange behavior, and thus had been caught off guard and been easy to take down.

            Aura was not most people.

            She reacted with a speed that could only come from years of a tough life and adapting to the harshest of situations. She grabbed Ash by his neck, and turned them both around in a single fluid motion, slamming the human against the wall.

            “Do. Not. Do. That. Ever. Again.” Aura growled very slowly, emphasizing every word as to make her point very clear. “I might have dibs on killing you, but I have other reasons that keeping you alive is useful at the moment, besides my promise to Hikari. Don’t force me to kill you before your usefulness is ended.”

            Aura let him go, and he slumped into an awkward slouch on the floor against the wall.

            “Don’t make me ask again.”

            “Psycho,” Ash muttered, standing up and sulking away.

            “And don’t forget those apples!” Aura barked after him.

 

...

 

Ash didn’t like lying. Especially because Pikachu always seemed to know when he was. It was some sort of strange, animalistic instinct that seemed to signal whenever Ash was being less than truthful.

            But, what else was he supposed to say? There was no way the others would believe Aura wanted to help him- _if_ she really _did_ want to help him. It could still be some sort of trap. Ash still didn’t trust her. Which, quite frankly, was strange, even he had to admit-at least to himself. He was usually naïve to a fault-particularly when it came to Pokémon.

            Yet, there was something about Aura that set off sirens in his mind. Maybe it was the fact that she had tried to kill him-or, had _wanted_ to-when they had first met. Or, maybe it was the way she seemed to despise the _sight_ of him. Or, maybe, just maybe, it was that feeling he got, like she knew something he didn’t…something important…and kept it from him, on _purpose_.

            Whatever it was, she gave him the creeps, and as much as he couldn’t believe that he was going to willingly spend time with her- _alone_ -he had to admit that he _was_ worn out from all the sparring that Godric was forcing him through. Maybe whatever she had in mind could-God forbid-be helpful to him.

            After all, she probably wanted to get out of there and go home as soon as possible herself.

            Ash grimaced. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

            “What’s wrong, Ash?” Misty’s voice caused him to look up from his plate.

            “Hmm?” He feigned ignorance and innocence. He thought quickly, something that he learned to do over the past couple of year, at least when under pressure-such as in a Gym Battle. “I’m fine,” He yawned, “just drained. I’m gonna call it a day and go back and relax in our room. I’m just really tired. I might just go to bed now.” He started to get up, and noticed a small bowl on the table, slightly to his right. It had two green apples in it. He grabbed it, putting a few berries and a couple rolls in it as an afterthought.

            “But, of course, you won’t be giving your stomach a break,” Misty smirked.

            “I’m still hungry,” Ash muttered. “I just need a break from this non-stop brawl. Tell Godric for me, would ya?”

            Misty grimaced, but nodded.

            She got the feeling – as Ash turned and left the mess hall – that he couldn’t get out fast enough. Misty glanced at Pikachu.

            “Why didn’t you go with him?”

            “ _Ash is hiding something, even from me._ ” Pikachu sighed. “ _He needs to learn to come to terms with things on his own. He has to be a man on his own two feet. I can’t always be there for him_.”

            _And,_ Pikachu added to himself, _there are wounds he may yet obtain that even_ my _presence would only make worse._

            “ _Now’s a good a time as any for him to practice_ ,” Pikachu continued.

            “I can understand that,” Nyx nodded. The Umbreon had been silent throughout the meal until that point. “My father told me something similar when he left for Hikari’s Keep for the last time, to step down and become an Elder, leaving…leaving Nila to be the new Night Sage.”

            “What, er, what species was your father?” Misty tried to not think about Ash, or about how worried she suddenly was about him.

            “An Umbreon, like me,” Nyx responded with his usual grin. “Though, he was not a Shiny. That is a rare, genetic fluke that no one’s been really able to explain. At least, not yet, anyway.”

            “Were…er, what I mean is…”

            “ _Were you close to your father, or was he more of a distant mentor-figure to you_?” Pikachu finished Misty’s question for her.

            Nyx blinked. No one, beyond his own mother, had ever seemed to care whether or not Zyne had loved his son, or even truly cared about him.

            Maybe…maybe humans weren’t the complete savages that some of the Pokémon at the Night Temple made them out to be…and maybe the Pokémon themselves weren’t superior, at least not morally, after all.

            “Before my father…before Zyne left as an Elder Sage, he and I…yes. We were close. I’ve seen only a few real families, having lived at the Temple all my life, but I know without a doubt that he was a good, loving father. He helped me become the creature I am today.”

            “ _Grin and all_?” Pikachu teased, trying to lighten the mood. For some reason, talking about his family in such a personal way…it seemed to make Nyx tense.

            “Grin and all,” Nyx nodded, his bright aura returning.

            Misty looked at the doorway again.

            “ _He’ll be fine_ ,” Pikachu assured her. “ _I’m sure he will_ …”

            _It’s in his blood, after all…_

 

...

 

Aura sat in an almost-awkward, cross-legged position on a low stool. The room was much smaller than its counterpart in the Normal Temple, though what shelves there were in it were just as packed with books, journals, and scrolls. Perhaps the Fighting Element left less time for reading than the Normal. Or, maybe it just couldn’t be recorded with words, the way many tried to do with the various types of Support. She had a bunch of leather scraps in front of her, some in her left paw, and a threaded needle in her right. She was sewing the leather together into some type of pouch with large straps attached to it.

            “What’s that?” Ash asked, as he came in. He sat down in a kneeling position in front of her, setting the bowl of food down in front of him, slightly to his left.

            Aura didn’t respond at first. Instead, she took an apple from the bowl, and placed it in the pouch. She shook the pouch by the straps a slight bit, and, when she was convinced it would hold–for now – she pressed the pouch against Ash’s chest.

            “Um,” Ash froze, stammering. “Er, eh heh, what are you doing?”

            “Measuring,” Aura muttered simply, wrapping the straps over and under his arms to meet together at his back. “Don’t move,” she growled softly, holding them together with one paw and reaching for the threaded needle with the other, “unless you enjoy the idea of being pricked.”

            “What…?”

            “Shh,” Aura tapped his mouth gently with the needle. Then, she went to work without another word. After she had sewn the straps together to her satisfaction she lifted the strange, leather creation up over Ash’s head. She then took the apple out and, in a seemingly absent-minded way, tossed it up and down.

            “Well?” Ash muttered after a couple moments. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

            “Go get the Orb.” Aura ignored his question. “Well, go on, now. We don’t have all day!”

            “Jeez,” Ash hissed under his breath, reluctantly standing up. He gave her one last confused, angry look, before heading out down the hall. As he left the library, he thought he heard the crunching sound of the apple being eaten.

            She was psychotic, that was all there was to it. Absolutely crazy.

            Ash fumed for a few minutes as he sulked back to the room he and the others had been staying in. He picked up his pack and started rummaging through it, as he took a few steps towards his bed. Not paying attention, Ash stepped and slipped on the strap of Misty’s pack, falling forward and dropping his pack, some of its contents spilling and rolling out onto the floor.

            Ash pushed himself onto his feet, inhaling in dismay.

            He heard the very loud _thunk_ of the Orb as it fell.

            _No!_

            He ran to where the Orb lay, still wrapped in the faded blue cloth. He gingerly touched the cloth with his fingertips. Not daring to breathe, he slowly removed the cloth, emptying the Orb into his hand.

            He sighed with relief as he checked the surface. There wasn’t a single scratch; it was perfectly fine. He stuffed the cloth into his pocket, and placed the Orb on his bed, while he returned the other spilled supplies to his pack. Then he picked the Orb back up.

            “I still can’t believe I go through all this for something so…small,” he sighed to himself.

            He started to go back towards the library. Just as he passed the training hall, he heard voices coming from the mess hall. Lunch was over. He couldn’t get caught; they couldn’t see that he wasn’t asleep in his bed. They couldn’t figure out that he and Aura were planning to…well, whatever it was that Aura had in mind.

            She hadn’t yet told him what that was.

            He ran the rest of the way down the hall, turning and skidding into the library.

            However, yet again, he misjudged his actions, and ended up slipping again, this time on a piece of scrap leather that Aura hadn’t used. He fell on his face with an audible _thok_.

            “I give it a three,” Aura chuckled.

            “Yeah, yeah,” Ash got to his feet, thankful that, yet again, the Orb had managed to survive without even a scratch. “I know, I know. You hate me.”

            “Three out of five isn’t _that_ bad, is it?” Aura furrowed her brow.

            “Five?” Ash looked at her.

            “I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you here.”

            “Asked?” Ash gave her a look. “More like threatened.”

            “You want out of here?” Aura placed her paw on her hip, looking up at Ash from where she sat.

            “What?”

            “Do you want to get going, to continue on this little quest already?” Aura narrowed her eyes in apparent annoyance. “Or, do you _want_ to stay here and get your little ass thrashed by Odin day after day until he accidently kills you because you’ve been worn down so much?”

            “When you put it that way…” Ash rubbed his forehead. “But, why do you want to help me; what’s in it for you? And how?”

            Aura didn’t answer right away. Instead, she reached towards the bowl without looking, and grabbed one of the berries. Surprised at the different texture, she glanced down at it, noticing for the first time the presence of Pecha and Oran berries as well as the rolls amongst the apples. She glanced up at Ash, not bothering to hide her confusion.

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded. “They’re for you.”

            Aura just stared at him.

            _He…did something…_ for _me? Something…caring? Nice?_

            After a long moment, Aura’s expression hardened again.

            “I want to go home eventually,” she shrugged casually. “I can’t until you’re done with your quest. So, we’re gonna get out of here as soon as mortally possible.”

            “How?” Ash repeated. “You plan on challenging Odin yourself? Neither of us can take him on.”

            “We’re not going to.”

            “What?”

            “We’re going to sneak into the Temple. Tonight. And you’ll take the Orb yourself. Without Odin saying or knowing so. By morning, you’ll have the Fighting Orb and there’ll be nothing they can do. We’ll be able to finally move on.”

            “What about the Test or whatever? Traps set on the way to the Shrine?”

            “That’s why I’m coming,” Aura stood up. “I took it easy today so that I could be as strong and alert as possible to get you to the Shrine alive. You’ll just have to deal with the actual taking of the Orb.”

            “I…I’m not sure…”

            “Typical. You’re afraid of getting caught? Odin will never deem you worthy, you know,” Aura growled. “You just don’t have the stamina to fight a Pokémon. You never will. Maybe a human can never really be the Chosen One after all.”

            Ash glared at her, but also knew a challenge when he heard one.

            “Tonight,” he nodded sharply, his voice blunt. “When, and where?”

            “Go get some sleep,” Aura said, her tone a bit more gentle, although not by much. “I will wake you up when everyone else in the Temple is asleep. Then, we’ll make our way to the Shrine.”

            “Do you know where it is?”

            Aura motioned to the books.

            “I have some ideas of how to find it, and there’s plenty of research I can do to help.”

            “Why did you want the Orb?” Ash looked at the sphere in his hand. The Normal Orb gave a soft, dim glow.

            Aura picked up the straps she had sewn.

            “I am more than capable of fighting on my own, but…” She motioned towards the pouch the straps had been sewn on to. “I’d rather you not be completely defenseless. This will allow you to bring the Orb without having to carry it. We both know that you’re capable of using it, so…” she shrugged and handed the pouch to him.

            Ash opened his mouth to speak.

            “Go pass out somewhere,” Aura sneered at him, waving him off.

            Ash turned out and headed towards the group’s room once more. He couldn’t help but smile.

            _She might be crazy,_ he thought to himself¸ _but she’s not as bad as she tries to seem._

            _I think._

            Aura turned to the bookshelf, and ran her paw across the books’ spines, trying to decide, praying that she didn’t waste even one second of research.

 

...

 

Jerzy was more than annoyed now.

            Granted, no one ever caught him unless he wanted to be caught, but still. Persistence from someone trying to do so was irritating. This time, however, the Rattata knew the species of the agent the Order had sent to seek him out was.

            A Machop. A young male, wearing a mask made of similar material to Jerzy’s own, only this one covered just the area around the Machop’s eyes. A perfect choice, really: Machop were common amongst ports and sailors, and were a common member on teams of sea-faring Trainers. No one would really take much note of another one, even if he was wearing a funny mask.

            The Order apparently thought that he would be able to not only find Jerzy, but take him back to them again.

_Fat chance. Not this Rattata._

            Jerzy smirked. He glanced behind him, where a smaller ship was tied to the dock.

            He jumped up and scurried up the rope on all fours, following his rodent instincts.

            Rattatas were common aboard ships, after all. Plus, it was really about time he took a vacation. Thievery was hard work, particularly when the Order was after you.

            After a few minutes of exploration within the ship, he discovered a small pamphlet of the ship’s scheduled trip throughout the Sevii Islands.

            “We about ready?” Jerzy heard one of the shipmates yell from the nearby end of the ship. A rookie, from the tone of his voice, Jerzy decided.

            _Well_ , Jerzy smiled at the paper map again, as the ship’s horn blared outside. _It looks like I’m going to Two Island_.

 

...

 

Ash woke up suddenly, his chest burning with his lack of oxygen.

            Why couldn’t he breathe?

            Aura removed her paw from his mouth, which had also been unintentionally blocking his nose.

            Air exploded into Ash’s lungs, as he inhaled loudly.

            “SSHHHHHH!” Aura hissed, trying to hush his obnoxious breathing. “You’ll wake them,” she whispered, motioning to Misty and Nyx. “Come on! Before they _do_ wake up.”

            She motioned for him to follow her as she started to head out into the hallway.

            “What about Pikachu?” Ash rubbed his eyes as he sat up on the bed. The little electric mouse was curled up on the pillow, not far from where Ash’s head had been earlier. Pikachu’s nose and ears twitched as if he was dreaming, but he otherwise kept sleeping peacefully.

            Aura hesitated. The fewer the better, but….

            _I never forgot what you did for me_ ….

            “Let him sleep,” Aura finally muttered. “Now come on!” And she dashed into and down the hallway.

            “Glad I slept in my clothes, then,” Ash shook his head at the Lucario’s impatience. He grabbed the pouch – the Orb within – and slipped it on, so that the pouch rested against his chest, before following after her.

            “I just hope that no one here sleepwalks,” Aura said softly when Ash caught up to where she had stopped, at a corner where a new hallway joined the one they were in. According to the scents in the area and the passages she had read earlier, Aura guessed that this new hallway probably led to the Sage’s Quarters. Judging by the strong scent of Blaziken, Godric probably had a room nearby. Made sense, she decided, for the Head Aide to always be near the Sage.

            “So, how do you propose we find the Shrine?” Ash narrowed his eyes with a smirk.

            “Humans,” Aura smirked herself, shaking her head in mock disbelief. “Your species’ poor senses combined with your arrogance have led you to forget that we have stronger sight, hearing, and sense of smell.”

            “That simple?” Ash raised an eyebrow.

            “I figure that the Shrine is past the Sage’s Quarters, away from the main rooms of the Temple. Which would mean that only Odin goes to the Shrine, at least regularly. So, we just follow the path that has only Odin’s scent.”

            “And pray that it doesn’t take us to his room.”

            “That would be far too strong a scent,” Aura frowned. “I’m not that stupid. Though, if we must go through his room, he’ll probably be asleep. As long we’re quiet, we should make it.”

            “I…”

            “C’mon!” Aura breathed, and started to dash lightly down the new hallway. “And be quiet!”

            Ash sighed as he followed. He should have brought Pikachu. He wasn’t used to being without the little guy. And Aura…

            …Aura was definitely no Pikachu. Understatement, but there it was.

            Ash followed Aura through a few more turns and twists in the hallways. They stopped every so often, Aura sniffing the air to make sure they didn’t wake anyone or were being followed. Then, Aura stopped at a fork in the halls.

            “Three choices,” Aura muttered. “Left, right, or middle?”

            “Um,” Ash started.

            “Hush!” Aura raised a paw behind her at him, but didn’t move her gaze from the three choices before her. She took a couple steps towards the left, identifying the scent.

            _Godric_ , she decided. _That’s the path to the Head Aide’s room._

            The right path had a strong scent of Lucario. Very strong, and it was accompanied with the soft sound of an unidentifiable echo.

            _So, that must lead to Odin’s rooms. Which only leaves…_

            The middle path. It smelled of Odin, too, though the scent wasn’t as strong. A couple days old, actually, and there was a strange…feeling coming from down that hall.

            “This one,” Aura beckoned as she started down it.

            “You sure?” Ash followed reluctantly.

            “You want to try a different one?”

            Ash remained silent.

            “Exactly.”

            They traversed the silent path as it gradually became less and less uniform, changing from a worn-down, lived-in hallway, to a twisting and irregular cave tunnel.

            “Careful of your step.” Aura muttered.

            “There seems to be fewer torches here,” Ash looked around. “It’s gonna get really hard to see soon.” The soft firelight on the walls was already low enough that he had difficulty seeing where Aura was. “How could we forget that? We need a new light source, maybe take one of the torches, or…”

            Aura never heard what the other possibility could be, as the strange glowing of the Orb intensified, silencing her teenaged companion. Its light illuminated the area around them, creating more than enough visibility to keep going without worry.

            “That’s helpful,” Aura almost smiled, before they kept going.

            “Darkness isn’t the only thing that worries me,” Ash admitted. “I’m surprised that we’re just traveling down this without any type of Test or opposition. There’s no way that we can just go and take this thing; it’s too powerful to not have protection.”

            “Your point?” Aura wasn’t thrilled; humans had a nasty habit of jinxing good luck by opening their mouths to question it.

            “Well, shouldn’t there be some sort of-?” Ash started, but was interrupted by a sharp rumbling in the ground. _Something_ was digging its way up from under the tunnel a few feet ahead. Rocks in the tunnel rumbled and rolled away from it, causing Aura and Ash to avoid the ones heading their way.

            Out of the developing hole came a…strange glowing figure. Neither human nor Pokémon, it stood about seven foot tall or so, with a reptilian-shaped head, and an irregular number of limbs; even if Aura or Ash had wanted to count them, they would not have been able to, with how constantly they moved. It seemed to be _made_ out of a glowing light, burnt-orange in color, with white and black markings swirling around its body.

            “Trap?” Ash finished his question, breathless with fear.

            “No way,” Aura’s eyes widened. “It can’t be!”

            “What? What is it?”

            “An Elemental!” Aura barked as it roared a threat, its voice almost ethereal. “Summoned with the Pure Essence of an Element, only a strong Sage of great power and understanding of their Element can summon or control them. One of the passages in the library mentioned them.”

            “So how do we get past it?” Ash took a step back as it locked eyes with him.

            “We fight it,” Aura dashed at it, leaping and swinging herself around into a Double Kick attack.

            Though the attack hit dead-on, the Elemental seemed unfazed by it, as if she had done little more than poke him.

            “What?!?” Aura yelped. “It didn’t even…feel…”

            The Elemental looked at her. Slamming her eyes shut, she leapt again, swinging her clenched paw up in a Sky Uppercut. When she landed again, she looked at the Elemental, only to see that it hadn’t even flinched.

            “No…” Aura couldn’t believe how powerful it was.

            The Elemental growled at her. It swung one of its hands down on her with a Karate Chop. Aura yelped out in pain as the attack flung her backwards into Ash, causing them both to crash into the ground.

            “Yeah,” Aura groaned in pain. “It’s a Fighting Elemental, all right.” She tried to stand, failing and falling as Ash managed to return to his feet. “Now…what elements are stronger than…what attacks do I…?”

            _I have to do_ something! Ash thought desperately. _Maybe the Orb…but what?_

            The Elemental roared again, and drew back one of its arms, preparing its fist for another attack.

            “ATTACK!” He pleaded with the Orb, swinging his right arm and praying.

            “No, Ash! Don’t!” Aura barked.

            As if to answer, the Orb glowed stronger, as star-shaped bursts of light shot out of his hand, hitting the Elemental in the face.

            The Elemental bellowed in pure rage.

            “Normal attacks are weak against Fighting!” Aura reminded him. “All you’re doing is pissing him off!”

            The Elemental swung its fist at them before Ash could retort.

            _NO!_ Aura clenched her eyes.

            _I’m dead,_ Ash thought. _It’s going to kill me…I’m…_

            The Elemental roared again, but the blow never came. Ash dared to look up at it. The beast was glowing in a strange, purple light, which seemed to keep it frozen in the middle of its attack.

            Where…?

            Aura was half-standing, in front of Ash, putting herself in between him and the Elemental. Her false hair Aura Sensors were raised, but in a purple light, not blue, the same light the Elemental was restrained with, and was also radiating from Aura’s paws and, as Ash saw by glancing around at her, her eyes.

            Aura slowly stood up, but the light did not fade.

            The Elemental roared again, this time in frustration.

            “This is the Chosen One!” Aura yelled back at it. “The human destined to bear the Orb you guard. You _will_ suffer him! Return to the ethereal plane from which you were summoned, or I will use the power of the Psychic Element to destroy you!”

            A strange rumble – not quite a growl – issued from the Elemental.

            Aura moaned and stumbled onto her knees. The light faded from the Elemental, and, gradually, from Aura herself.

            However, instead of finishing its attack, the Elemental lowered its fist and looked back and forth between Ash and Aura. It nodded at the Lucario before bowing – in a strange, lopsided manner, but undeniably a bow – to the human teen.

            “What?” Ash took a step back.

            _The will and spirit of Hikaru go with you…Chosen One._ The words echoed in Ash’s mind, the voice didn’t seem either mortal nor in any real, known language…yet he understood.

            With that, the Elemental simply faded away into nothingness.

            “What the hell?” Aura slowly stood up again.

            “I should be saying that to _you_ ,” Ash looked at her. “Since when can you use Psychic?”

            “A while,” Aura shrugged as if it wasn’t anything monumental.

            “Can you use Aura, too? I mean, it is your name and-?” Ash started.

            “Come on,” Aura grabbed his wrist, leading him the rest of the way to the Shrine.

            The room was very similar to the one at the Normal Temple. The walls were also smoothed out into four walls, all covered with carvings of runes and drawings. There was another bronze statue in one of the corners, this one of the Riolu helping the human child stand, both of them smiling, with the Dratini circling around the Riolu, its tail wrapped around the small Pokémon’s ankle.

            In the center, was another silver statue of another Riolu, sitting cross-legged in meditation, holding the Orb of Struggle above its head. It was also surrounded by statues of varying metal; this time the statues were of a Mankey, Machop, Tyrogue, Makuhita, Meditite, and a Croagunk. The Orb, however, was a bit different this time; while it still had the clear-yet-opaque quality to it, the Fighting Orb was a burnt-orange-like color, similar to the Elemental they had faced mere moments before.

            “Ash?” Aura took a step towards him, her head tilted slightly in concern.

            Normally, he would have gone into a metaphorical heart attack from surprise from her sudden worry. But, like before, he felt a strong fascination and attraction to the Orb; he walked up to it, staring at it, drawn to it like a Dustox to the flame.

            “I guess I should get this over with,” Ash shrugged.

            Reluctant for reasons he couldn’t understand, Ash slowly reached out towards the Orb. His hands froze just by the Orb, not yet touching it.

            _You are the only one who can do this…_ Saki’s words echoed in his head, followed by the last words she had had on the subject. _You always have a choice, Ash. Remember that_.

            Ash exhaled, drawing up every ounce of courage he could muster, and grabbed the Orb fiercely with both hands.

            Even though he knew it was coming, the uncontrollable wave of pain was sharp and shocking. He tried to convince himself that it was all in his head…that the pain wasn’t real, but when he started to hear the voices, he knew that it simply wouldn’t be possible. The voices overlapped, mostly blending into one unintelligible mass of chaos, though a few echoed above the rest.

            _Who is right? Us? Them?_

_What am I supposed to do?_

_I can’t kill my own father!_

_Who am I?_

_What am I becoming?_

_Why?_

Voices of people facing their greatest internal struggles roared within his mind, and he felt their confusion, their fear, their…their _conflict_ , torn between trying to decide what was right, what was real, and what was wrong, immoral or just illusion.

            Suddenly, the pain intensified, branching out from a large spot in his chest. His shirt felt wet, warm…

            …Blood?

            _NOOOOOOOOOO!!!_ A sharp, shrill female voice shrieked.

            _FATHER!_ A younger one yelled, her tone just as terrified…just as grieved.

            _Hikaru?_ Ash felt tears forming in his clenched eyes. Was he hearing, feeling, _experiencing_ Hikaru’s last moments?

            He could _feel_ the heartbreak, the absolute _betrayal_.

            _He was my_ brother! _How could he…why?_

_WHY?!?_

Ash trembled, futilely trying to hold back the tears that were streaming down his face.

            “Ash?” Aura had never seen the teen cry before. She didn’t like it, a fact that surprised her. She timidly touched his arm in concern.

            _I can’t kill him! I can’t!_

_You have to; you have to protect your people!_

_He’s my brother!_

            Suddenly, the pain shifted, to the top of his head instead of his chest. And…his arms and…it kept shifting, as if he was torn between two different events…two different memories.

            _Why are you doing this?_ Aura’s voice echoed within his mind. At least…it sounded like Aura…a little…or a lot. Was it Aura?

            _What are you?_ The voice–Aura or not–continued. _How can you do this? I can’t choose between…you’re family! How can you?_

_Stand down!_ A new, yet familiar, voice bellowed. _Serve your sworn duty! I must serve mine!_

            _Duty?!?_ The Aura-like voice broke into a sob. _Damn it, he’s your_ son! _If that isn’t_ worth your time _, then you’re not the man I thought you were!_

            _…Then, it’s time to remove the problem,_ a different voice spoke in a sick, yet strangely intriguing. The pain was solely in his head now…well, in his head and his heart.

            _No! No, I won’t let you touch him!_ The voice was definitely Aura’s now.

            _I’m not talking about him…_

            Fear rippled through Ash.

            _Whose life am I fighting for?_ Aura’s confusion surged through Ash’s consciousness.

            _Ash…_

Now, the memories were gone, faded away, and the voice–Hikaru’s, if the previous experience was what he thought–was the only presence in his mind.

            _What do you want_? He asked it.

            _Your greatest struggle…all people’s greatest…lie within…._

_What?_

The memory of the other night replayed again. He relieved the sights–few as they were–and the feel of her hands on his arms, her back against _his_ hands, her nose gently touching his, the feel of his rapid heartbeat pounding throughout his entire body, her breath against his face.

            _Why…?_ Ash started to ask.

            _What is Misty Waterflower…to you?_ Hikaru’s voice asked in a firm voice.

            _We’re just friends… That’s all…_

            He remembered the strange, paradox-like feeling, the alertness mixed with the stunned reaction.

            _It was just a surge of hormones…it wasn’t…it isn’t…_

            He remembered the powerful sense of consuming desire. The way it felt…okay. Normal. Not evil or disgusting, the way he would have viewed it a few years before. Was it him, or was it…?

            _I don’t know_ , he finally admitted.

            There was a sense…a sort of click in his mind, and the presence was gone. Ash yanked up on the Orb with all his might, pain searing through him again as he finally removed the Orb from the Shrine.

            He stood, hunched over, leaning his arm against the Riolu statue. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, repeatedly taking and releasing huge, irregular breaths.

            “Ash?” Aura stepped back. “What…?”

            “I dunno,” He breathed, looking down at the Orb. “I did…I did it. I dunno….” He stumbled a bit. “M…Misty,” He barely spoke, before collapsing onto the ground.

            “Ash!” Aura couldn’t fight the surge of concern. She’d just fought for him. He couldn’t die.

            She…she promised Hikari…

            “He’ll be alright,” a male voice behind her made her jump.

            _Oh, shit…_

            “Hello, Aura.”

            “Hello, Godric…Odin.”

 

...

 

Ash groggily woke up, feeling as if he had been hit over the head with a semi.

            “Oh, man,” he slowly sat up.

            “Glad to see you decided to join the mortal realm,” Odin’s voice chuckled.

            “What hit me?”

            “The Test just drained you of energy. You just needed to recharge.”

            “Oh, I’m in trouble,” the realization hit him.

            “I’ll say!” A female voice caused Ash to turn.

            “Misty, I know I should have…”

            “It was my fault,” Aura spoke up before Misty could interrupt.

            “Aura?” Ash and Misty chimed together.

            “It is not out of love for you, human, don’t kid yourself,” Aura grimaced. “I am simply responsible enough to stand up and accept consequences for my own actions.” She turned to Odin. “I convinced the Chosen One to go behind your backs with me to the Shrine and take the Test without your permission. While he likely lied to you, it was because, for reasons I cannot fathom, he trusted me.”

            “I had been starting to fear that I would have to have Nyx or Pikachu give him the idea,” Odin chuckled, shocking everyone else in the room besides Godric.

            “What?” Ash twitched his eye in absolute shock.

            “I couldn’t help you decide when to face your greatest struggle. Only that could give you the strength to survive the test.”

            “Um…” Ash scratched his neck nervously.

            “Godric?” Odin motioned to his friend. “Could you go get my special creation from my forge? Take Misty and Nyx with you; they’ll probably find your explanation fascinating.”

            “Of course, friend,” Godric dipped his head in a bow that hid his knowing, amused grin. “Come, my new friends,” the Blaziken led the shiny Umbreon and teenage girl out.

            “Aura,” Odin handed her a cloth–the same blue one he’d found in Ash’s pocket earlier. “Go and get the Orb out of my room. It’s resting on my bed. Be careful not to touch it directly.”

            “Whatever,” she took the cloth and stalked out of the room as well.

            “Pikapi,” Pikachu rubbed his face against Ash’s side from where he sat on the bed next to him.

            “I was right, wasn’t I?” Odin asked.

            “What?”

            “ _She_ was–is–your greatest struggle, the one you had to overcome to claim the Orb, isn’t she?”

            “What?” Ash repeated.

            “You didn’t have to resolve your struggle to pass the Test, obviously,” Odin turned around, picking up a small mug of tea from the table that had been behind him. “You just had to admit that the struggle existed. At least to yourself,” Odin handed the mug to him.

            Ash took it with muttered thanks.

            “Don’t try to figure it out too fast,” Odin sat down on at the foot of the bed. “It’ll make sense one day. You won’t understand how or why, it just will.”

            “You sound like you know.”

            “I’ve had times I’ve thought about it, but…” Odin frowned for a moment. “But it creates too much trouble for a Sage when one decides to take a mate. Nyx’s father was a great Sage, but there are still amongst our Order that speak of it with great contempt.”

            “I just don’t…” Ash started. “I’m probably just tired. Or just need to spend more time with…with other humans.”

            “That is possible,” Odin got up again. “Just…don’t turn your back on the idea. _That_ you would likely regret. Just…enjoy what you can.”

            “I’ve got it!” Godric came in, carrying a metal gauntlet.

            “Ditto,” Aura followed after the others, bringing the Orb of Struggle in the cloth. The pouch carrying the Orb of Support was flung over her shoulder, the Orb secure and safe. She dropped them both onto the bed next to Ash.

            “This,” Odin took the gauntlet from Godric, “will, hopefully, be the most important tool you will have for protecting and using the Orbs. It took years, but I think I finally got it right.” The metallic glove had a total of eighteen holes on it: two rows of eight around the wrist, and two on the back of the hand. They were each about the size of an inactive Pokéball. “Take the Orb of Support, and try to place it in the first hole of the bottom ring.”

            Ash skeptically obeyed, and was shocked to watch as the Orb shrank to the appropriate size and fit perfectly into the hole.

            “Now place the Orb of Struggle in the next one to the right.”

            Ash did so, and the others were still amazed to see that it, too, shrank and fit.

            “How?” Nyx breathed.

            “I worked with some members of the Psychic, Dark, and Light Temples to create the spell. Magic isn’t common, and usually just the right combination of Element use, but there are some sources left from the olden days. This gauntlet, though a recent creation, is now one such artifact. Beware, though, as not all of them are benevolent in nature, and those that were are often easily corrupted or destroyed.

            “Now, this will allow you to use multiple Elements at once or at least in much more rapid succession than simply carrying them around. I trust that Nyx will aid in training you with how to do this in between Temples.”

            “I’m no expert,” Nyx folded his ears against his head. “But, I’d be honored to teach the Chosen One what I do know.”

            “Nyx…” Ash started.

            “Put the gauntlet on,” Odin interrupted.

            Ash obeyed, but not before giving Odin a look of confusion.

            “Now mentally tell the gauntlet that you do not need the Elements now.”

            And the device simply vanished.

            “Where-?!?” Ash yelped.

            “Relax, it’s not really gone, just…well, to put it in layman’s terms, you’ve absorbed the gauntlet and the Orbs with it. You can mentally call upon it at anytime, but it should be safe now, as long as you are.

            “You might want to take it off when you bathe, but otherwise wear it at all times. If you must take it off, do _not_ let it leave your sight.”

            “Got it,” Ash nodded. _I’ll deal with how_ insane _this all seems later…_

            “Place them in order of how you obtain them, starting with where you’ve started, and all the way around, starting with the same spot of the second round when you get there. The two on the actual hand are for the Dark and Light Orbs, since they are…very powerful.”

            “Sounds simple enough,” Ash muttered.

            “Hopefully that means that you’ll remember it,” Aura smirked.

            Ash shot her a glare.

            “The next Shrine is on Two Island,” Odin changed the subject slightly.

            “Sevii?” Ash asked. “We’re going to Sevii Islands?”

            “You should be able to get a ferry from…Vermillion, I believe. I admit I do not know the name for sure.”

            “ _Yeah, it’s Vermillion_ ,” Pikachu confirmed. “ _I’ll never forget that place_.”

            Ash chuckled.

            Odin felt excitement. He could tell that Ash was going to be great, that he was going to succeed in his quest. And, while the thought of the Chosen One bringing in the start of the Age of Hope thrilled Odin, he decided that it was blessing enough to be happening during his own lifetime, when he was a Sage. He could wait a while longer to see the prophecy complete.

            After all, he was patient.  

            “Well, Chosen One, you rest up, and you and your friends can get going after lunch.”

            With that, Odin left with the others.

            Except for Misty, who stayed behind, not quite able to look Ash in the eye.

            “Misty…” Ash tried to think. “I…I know you’re mad. I guess…you’re right. I should have told you. You’re my best friend, and deserve my trust. I shouldn’t have…”

            “When Odin carried you in, saying that you had snuck into the Shrine to take the Test on your own…” Misty lost her voice for a moment, struggling to restrain her emotions. “You looked so limp…you weren’t conscious or moving….you looked…looked…” She looked at the ground.

            “Misty, I…”

            _Don’t try to figure it out too fast…_

            “I’m sorry,” He finally settled on, hanging his head in sincerity.

            There was a brief moment of silence, making him fear he’d said the wrong thing. Then, Misty was suddenly hugging him, in an ineffective attempt to hide her tears, something that was admittedly unusual–for either of them.

            “You better be.”

 

...

 

The moon shone down upon the burning wreckage, like a demon glaring down upon the molten hell of twisted, smoking metal that scarred the otherwise beautiful landscape around it.

            The Lucario had no idea why he returned to it. His daughter was home safe with her dear friend, and the Pikachu had made it safely to the checkpoint: the home of a strange, old hermit who lived just beyond the outskirts of Pallet.

            Something had drawn him here, though.

            Maybe it was something he sensed with either his heightened ability with Aura and Psychic powers. Both had been genetically altered and heightened when he was an embryo developing in his egg. They often led him to find and learn things before he should.

            He couldn’t hang around for long, though. The human police would be here any minute now.

            He sniffed around. Not finding anything worthwhile, beyond the burning corpses, their smell a nauseous taste on his tongue, he turned to using Aura. What it revealed…

            …Wasn’t possible! It couldn’t be!

            He ran to where one of the bikes lay on top of a body. He threw the bike off, cursing as the metal singed his paw…

            …And the body twitched, coughing.

            “Garrison!” The Lucario barked.

            “…D…Delia…tell…tell Sp…Spence…” The half-charred body tried to speak.

            He was alive!


	13. A Blood Storm Builds

Moonsbane woke all at once, as he always did. He tightened his grip on a small dagger held in his right hand. He glanced about in a rapid, almost choppy manner.

            He had fallen asleep a few hours before, leaning against an old, weathered stone wall next to his motorcycle. The ancient wall was on the edge of a forest, where the tree types were mixed and had an elderly feel to it. Rather fitting, that this would be where _she_ made her home…

            Moonsbane glanced in the direction of his bike again. Next to it was the reason no Pokémon had approached him as he slept: a tied up corpse of a rather large Charizard. Well, it _had_ been a Charizard, before Moonsbane had tricked it into breaking its mortal bond and Evolving. Then, it had simply been a game of waiting for it to slip into utter madness and death. This, in retrospect, had taken a lot less time than he had thought it would, as the beast had Evolved out of rage.

            Now…now it looked like some sort of dark red, mutated…dragon- _thing_ , one that barely resembled a Charizard anymore.

            Only, Moonsbane couldn’t really use the corpse for much of anything useful. Not yet.

            Oh, he could try. He had been able to perform the spells and curses necessary on his own before. Once upon a time, it had been effortless, as natural and easy as breathing. But as the years had drug on…

            That ease of power seemed to fade a little.

            So, when he had discovered _her_ …

            Moonsbane smirked, slipping the dagger into a sheath strapped to his motorcycle. He then walked over to the corpse and picked it up with almost no effort whatsoever. He still had his supernatural strength, an aptitude that rivaled even Pokémon as strong as a Machamp. And, unlike his magic and Elemental powers, it had shown no sign or threat of ever lessening by even the slightest amount.

            _I have eyes sharper than a Pidgeot, more strength than an Aggron, and a faster mind and reflexes than an Alakazam_ , he mused, as he made sure everything was set and all tied up on his bike. _I’m as inconspicuous as a Haunter, heat-resistant as a Slugma, a more graceful swimmer than a Milotic, and I have a life-span greater than a Ninetales. And yet, I can’t seem to hold on to the Elements and other magic that once swam in my veins more freely than any other human… than any other being_ period _._

_I was once powerful enough to bring down an entire_ Order, he reminisced with an angry growl. _And now, I am reduced to using a blood-witch to do what I once could without limitations._

            Though, in retrospect, the blood-witch herself wasn’t such a bad find. Her expertise in blood magic and other magics, which were often frowned down those moral high-Ponyta Orders…they would have saved him at least some time and energy, even if he _was_ still at full power.

            She was, of course, also a woman.

            The corners of Moonsbane’s lips twitched.

            No, he had to deal with the dragon’s corpse, first. It would have little use to him before she had a chance to use her blood magic. She was quite difficult to deal with if you tried to ask too much of her, too fast.

            He blinked.

            _I’ve had hundreds of years of practice, but even such practice can only speed up the process so much,_ her voice echoed in his memory.

            Hundreds of years.

            Yet, Moonsbane knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was the oldest living human on the planet. So…

            _So_ , he thought to himself as he tied to corpse to the back of the bike with care. _Then, I must be even older than I thought. Not_ hundreds _of years, but_ thousands.

            _Maybe even_ tens _of thousands._

            _Or older._

            _How old_ am _I?_

            Moonsbane shook his head.

            His age didn’t really matter anymore. The past was the past. It was the future that he was interested in. And, in order for his plans for the future to finally take root, he had to focus on the present.

            He gently placed a hand against the corpse. It should have begun decomposing by now, but Moonsbane had enough magic ability left to delay the rot. At least, he could do so long enough for the blood witch to perform _her_ magic.

            _And,_ Moonsbane smirked to himself, _one day I will no longer have to depend on her in order to conserve my strength. My old power will be returned in full, will be increased beyond what it had ever been. I will become one with the very Elements, controlling them by my will and by mine alone._

            _And not even Arceus will be able to stop me._

            Moonsbane turned at the sound of feathers ruffling and a soft thud behind him.

            The creature that stood there barely resembled the Fearow it once was. Its beak curved at the end into a predatory hook, and its feathers were shaggy and longer than it had been in life and were of a mottled, dark brown color, minus the drooping, deflated crest feathers, which were instead a dark, dull cerise color. Its feet were a dark, brownish color that made one think of rotting flesh, and the actual talons were the same jet black as the beak, and had a ragged, serrated appearance. The eyes of this creature were a dark red that seemed to glow with a hellish quality, and at that moment, a color of dark goldenrod appeared and swirled in them, disappearing just as quickly, which revealed its recognition of its master.

            Moonsbane walked up to the beast with a smirk. The ancient human gently took the dangerous beak in his hands, as if he were greeting a prized Ponyta. There was no real love in Moonsbane’s eyes as he gazed upon the Fearow-like monster. It was admiration, not in the creature itself, but the pride that an artist feels as he or she gazes upon a painting that they have poured their sweat and blood into for months.

            “My beautiful, loyal pet,” Moonsbane breathed.

            He thought quickly.

            “Make your usual round again, and as you seek me out after,” he smirked again, “bring me a fresh source.”

            He would thus be able to stay near the blood-witch, until the beast brought him a new blood source for her magic.

            He went back to his bike, and unsheathed his dagger just as the bird-beast took flight and disappeared into the horizon. Moonsbane rubbed his left hand’s fingers against the blade.

            _The younger, the better_ , he narrowed his eyes in his bloodlust. _At least, to a certain age of youth, anyway._

            He had to admit that he could never risk taking a child under five years of age. Seven or eight was the youngest he had ever dared to sacrifice for the blood-witch’s magic, and even that he had only risked once. Too young might raise the suspicions of the wrong groups. And, he was _far_ too close to risk revealing himself _just_ yet. His plan was on the border of fruition.

            He glanced at the Charizard corpse again.

            He only needed a couple of more aces to throw down on the table, before he could reveal the explosive one up his sleeve.

            He sheathed the dagger again, and watched as the demon Fearow disappeared into the darkening sky.

            _Soon_ , Moonsbane smirked to himself, his eyes glowing with malice. _Soon, the Dawn of Age will break, and the world will face the dawn of a new era. An era in which I am beyond my previous height in power, an era in which the very Order of the Elements will break under my might. An era as endless as my life, with the world firmly in my grasp._

_An era of blood and fear._

_And the only being that the Order believes to stand in my way will be the very_ cause _to my rise to power._  

...  
...  
 

Ash twitched his hand.

            “Are you _sure_ that this isn’t going to have some sort of really bad side effect?” He frowned slightly. “Like losing feeling in my hand or something?”

            “Oh, yeah,” Aura muttered under her breath. “Because the worst thing that can happen to your hand is for it to go a little numb for a few hours.”

            “What’d ya say?” Nyx grinned at her.

            “Nothing,” The Lucario sighed.

            “It’s perfectly harmless,” Odin nodded, hiding his amusement with a rather straight face. “As long as you do not _wish_ it to harm you or others, it should remain as if your hand was bare.”

            Ash looked up at the mountain one more time.

            “Are you sure we shouldn’t stay one more night?” Misty asked the Sage. “I mean, wouldn’t he–uh, _we_ be pushing it after…last night?”

            “If he was a ten-year-old child or some recluse off on his first journey, perhaps,” Odin shook his head. “But, I can tell from just looking at young Ash here that he _has_ traveled before, and has been for years. He should be more than strong enough to make it to Vermillion.”

            “After all,” Nyx turned to grin at Misty now. “We can always take a nice long rest on the boat to Two Island.”

            “Now,” Odin raised a paw. “The Shrine isn’t on the _actual_ Two Island, but a nearby, smaller island often claimed to be a part of Two Island by the humans there, if the Birds of said Shrine and Temple are a credible source on the matter. You may have difficulty reaching it by normal standards once you are in Sevii. Just as a warning.”

            “We’ll play it by ear as always,” Aura shrugged in indifference. “C’mon,” She grabbed Ash by the shoulder that wasn’t already occupied by Pikachu. “I’d like to get going sometime during this century.”

            Misty looked at Nyx.

            “Just when I think I have her figured out,” Misty suppressed a chuckle.

            “At least we know that she’s not going to kill us in our sleep,” Nyx gave a half-shrug, before bounding after the others.

            _Then why do I still have the feeling that she’s not so confident about_ us _?_ Misty grimaced briefly, before following Nyx.

            “He’s going to be great,” Godric smiled, his arms crossed in a positive manner.  

            “No, Godric,” Odin shook his head. “He’s going to bring about a new Age.”

            _But,_ the Sage of Struggle wondered as he watched the group disappear into the foothills and beyond towards human civilization. _I can’t help but fear that he may yet be tempted by the curse of the Betrayer…and if that Age will be the Age of Hope…or Despair._

...  
...  
 

Aura clenched onto the edge of the ship, her head drooping limply over the edge.

            _Why did I agree to this madness?_

            The ship jerked slightly over a wave. Aura’s knuckles became much more pronounced as she struggled to neither be knocked overboard or to lose whatever still remained in her stomach.

            _Don’t worry, you thought._ Aura snarled bitterly to herself. _You’ve gone rafting down the river on the mountain, it’s the same principle, you thought._

            _Thank you, Arceus, for proving me ever so wrong, and in such a cruel manner._

            _Just when I thought I was forgiven…_

            “You alright, Aura?” Nyx’s voice cut off her thoughts.

            “I’m _fine_ ,” Aura snapped. “How much longer are we stuck on this…on this… on…?” The Lucario struggled in vain to finish her sentence before clenching her mouth shut in an effort to hold back another wave of regurgitated waffles.

            “If I’d known you’d get motion sickness,” Ash walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, “I wouldn’t have made that bet at breakfast.”

            “If I had _won_ ,” Aura snarled, “I _might_ have considered this to be worth it.” She retched uncontrollably once. Ash tried to refrain from revealing his instinctual disgust. Aura wiped her mouth. “I don’t even _like_ Bluk Berry Waffles…” She took a deep breath, before straightening up to look Ash in eye. “I hate you.”

            “As you often tell me,” Ash removed his hand and sighed.

            _Just when I thought she was getting over the whole crazed-psycho thing and becoming an actual_ friend….

            “I’m gonna go brush my teeth now,” Aura sulked off towards the ship’s cabin.

            “We’re never gonna understand her, are we?” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “ _Probably not_ ,” Pikachu chuckled as he jumped onto his friend’s shoulder. “ _I thought_ I _did, once_ ,” the electric mouse added to himself, “ _a long time ago._ ”

            “Speaking of understanding,” Nyx looked at Ash. “Just _how_ do you understand Pikachu so well? Most humans have difficulty communicating with a Pokémon that still speaks its natural tongue.”

            “Huh,” Ash glanced at the Dark Pokémon. “I don’t understand him word for word, exactly. It’s more…I get the gist of what he’s saying.” He rubbed Pikachu’s cheek affectionately. “I may not get that he’s saying that the tunnel ahead is filled with monsters made of red gelatin and scrap iron, but I understand that there’s something dangerous in it, and that he wants me to be careful.”

            “Red gelatin and scrap iron?” Misty sat up from where she lay on a reclined beach chair. “That sounds pretty specific.”

            “I’ve had some rather strange dreams lately,” Ash shrugged, trying to hold back a bitter tone. “Sue me.”

            “And these dreams wouldn’t happen to be caused by our recent plunge into a secret world and society and your new, mysterious mission as the great Chosen One, would it?”

            “No,” Ash muttered under his breath. “More likely it was caused by eating your cooking for the past couple of weeks. If you could _call_ it cooking.”

            “What was that?” Misty narrowed her eyes.

            “Nothing,” Ash smiled in fake innocence.

            _He understands Pikachu,_ Nyx tilted his head. _Yet, he doesn’t seem to understand Misty to the same level, even though they speak the same language. Humans are very strange._

            The Umbreon grinned.

            “What’s up?” Ash raised an eyebrow.

            “It’s Nyx, Ash,” Misty chuckled. “What do you expect?”

            Aura wiped her mouth, but stayed where she was, standing in the doorway to the ship’s cabin.

            “It’s not every day you see such an interesting group as you young’uns,” an older voice chuckled behind the Lucario. “Most people keep their Pokémon in their Balls, nowadays.”

            “They didn’t use to?” Aura tilted her head.

            The elderly sailor stroked his beard.

            “Nah.”

            Aura didn’t speak, but simply looked the old man in his blue eyes.

            “Once, people and Pokémon alike lived together as equals, free from war or hate.”

            After a moment, Aura found her voice.

            “What happened?” She narrowed her eyes.

            “Things changed. People became less trusting, and thus less trustworthy.”

            “So, what you’re saying is…?”

            “They must be trustworthy kids, then.”

            _Why is he telling me this?_ Aura’s eyes narrowed even further, becoming little more than slits. _What is he_ really _saying?_

            “Just who are you, that you have such keen insight?” Aura made no attempt to hide her skeptic tone.

            “Just an old sailor,” he shrugged. “Ferryin’ folks back an’ forth in Sevii…you learn things.”

            Aura wondered just _how much_ he’d learned in life.

            “Like how you’re used to rough trips, but not quite the rhythm of a boat on the sea,” the sailor added.

            Aura opened her mouth to protest, but was unable to speak.

...  
...  
 

Khasandra slithered back in forth in a manner not unlike pacing.

            Was there nothing they could do?

            “Khasandra?” Hikari’s voice issued from the next room. “Are you still…?”

            “We have to _stop_ this!” The Dragonair pleaded with the Light Sage.

            “There is nothing we can do, Khas,” Hikari’s voice was heavy. “I simply cannot find him.”

            “But the Orb…”

            “The Light Orb can tap into the flow of magics of all sorts, yes, even Blood Magic, but it makes for a poor _physical_ tracking system. By the time we were able to even _discover_ their location, we would be too late, let alone _arriving_ in time.”

            “We have to do _something_ ,” Khas stressed again.

            “I have tried countless times before, my dear. I have never succeeded. On the rare occasions I have managed to find the location…I only arrived in time to find dried blood splatter…and once even a…”

            Silence.

            “A body?” Khas finished eventually.

            “Yes.” Hikari sighed. Her voice softened to a level the Dragonair could barely make out. “A husk, really. It was drained of all blood, as I’m sure was the killer’s goal.”

            “What…” Khas started. “What if this one was…was the Chosen?”

            “It’s not,” Hikari stated immediately. “The Chosen One is safe enough from the Traitor. At least for now. I trust that Aura will keep her word.”

            “To keep blood pure…” Khas recited bits of old writings she’d read as a Dratini. “Blood for blood, two shall become one and become two. Together, slay, sacrifice and bring about the new dawn.”

            But…a _child?_ They could _not_ just stand by and let this…this _evil_ occur. Not to such an…an innocent! They could _not_ be that _powerless_.

            “Hikari…” Khasandra whispered. “Are you sure we can’t save…we cannot stop this?”

            “I wish I could say we could, but…no. We cannot.” 

            “But…you _can_ tap into the flow of the magic…of this wretched ritual’s power?”

            “…Yes,” The Light Sage hesitated. “I suppose I…of course…. It’s been so long. I almost forgot.”

            “We can… _ease_ it, then,” Khasandra dared to hope. “We can…take away the pain. Give the innocent what little comfort we can manage. And maybe….”

            “Maybe we will grow stronger again, too.” Hikari agreed. “And when the Chosen One defeats the Traitor once and for all…we shall truly have peace again.”

            _At least,_ the Light Sage added to herself. _At least, I pray we will know peace in the new Age…I can only pray._

            “Come, Khasandra,” Hikari spoke quickly. “I shall need your help. Let us give this poor, terrified soul the comfort of a painless death…instead of the one that looms ahead for him now…”

...  
...  
 

Moonsbane smirked.

            The young boy tied up before him stared back with wide eyes. He tried to scream through the gag, but the blood-stained cloth was too tightly woven around his face to allow anything more than a muffled whimper. His limbs were bound behind his back with similar material. All he could do was stare up from where he lay, on his side, on the cool, dirt ground, up into the cold eyes of the ancient man.

            Moonsbane flicked his dagger out of his belt, and twirled it in one hand.

            “It looks like my little pet did rather well on his hunt,” the ancient man chuckled darkly. “I’d say you’re about ten or eleven. Old enough to be out journeying on his own, but still young enough…for potent blood.”

            The young boy’s eyes threatened to bulge right out of his head. Just what did this…this man _want?_ Why did he want to…to hurt him?

            Moonsbane began to strike the dirt around the boy with the blade in brief bursts. He drew a strange symbol in the ground, and began to chant in a strange language, one the young boy had never heard before. The boy tried to scream again.

            “Yes,” Moonsbane gently pressed the dagger’s blade against the boy’s cheek. “Yell. Plead for help. It’s the middle of the night, far, far from any sign of civilization…of any kind. Traveling trainers do go missing from time to time. You’ll…” Moonsbane started to chuckle again. “You’ll just be another one of them. I see your Pokéballs are not on your belt. I do hope that someone finds them, wherever they are, before they perish in their electronic prison. They will serve me no purpose if they die in that manner.”

            Moonsbane put a slight amount of pressure on the dagger, and slid it across the boy’s cheek slowly, drawing blood on one side of the blade.

            And the boy knew that he was going to die.

            “You should consider yourself lucky,” Moonsbane sneered. “Normally, I’m a very patient man. I usually _take my time_. In most cases, I would start here,” he struck gently against the boy’s left arm, nicking it just enough to draw blood. “And, I would let the blood drain before using what magic I have to seal it. Then, just as you began to regain consciousness, I would move here,” he struck the boy’s right arm, “and when I was done there, I would do the same here,” then the boy’s right leg, above the knee, “and here,” and he finished with a light scratch just above the boy’s left ankle. “After I was done with those, I would work several other locations across your body. And yes, I’m certain it would _hurt_ , young lad. I see the fear of pain in your eyes.

            “But, even with all the blood you would lose, you would not die. For, that is what the magic circle I have drawn around you is for; as long as there is the slightest amount of blood left in your veins, even if it would not be enough to even blink normally, you will survive. And, once the wound is closed, your body draws upon the Circle’s power to replenish itself and make new blood at an accelerated rate, without the need for food or any other materials. And I would simply bleed you again…and again… _and again_ …until I had drawn enough for my purpose at the time or, if time allowed, until I grew bored of the bleeding. And then…then I would make one last wound, and spill your Life Blood onto the Circle, killing you at last, and allowing me to collect your blood.”

            The boy could no longer attempt to scream. He was simply terrified to the point that he _couldn’t_ pass out, though he wished that he might.

            “Fortunately for you, I do not have time to bleed you even once beyond your Life Blood. I must get your blood and have the Ritual of Return performed soon, and I have no desire to do that myself, or to have it preformed in a hasty and messy manner. It must be flawless, and my window of opportunity for this particular specimen is rapidly closing. So, give thanks to whatever deity you pray to or believe in, be it Arceus or God or whomever it is these days. Your death will only have the pain…of your actual dying. And, of course,” Moonsbane added with a deep chuckle, “the minor wounds I have given you during my…presentation.”

            “So, I shall do this quickly.”

            Moonsbane placed his left hand on the boy’s shoulder for support, and rested the tip of the dagger against the side of the boy’s throat against the ground.

            “Oh, one last thing,” Moonsbane added, already feeling the pulse of fear-and of life-from the boy’s throat beating against the dagger’s blade. “Tell your deity, when you meet him...that the Great One has sent you…and that my Age is coming.”

            And, with the mutter of a single, archaic word of a lost tongue, Moonsbane made a swift, deep, and powerful upward cut, killing the boy and spilling his blood—as he had promised—onto the magic circle around them.   

            Wordlessly, Moonsbane stepped off of the circle and picked up a large mason jar that lay just outside it. He unscrewed the lid with a flick of his wrist, and tapped the open top of the jar against the ground near the body. A dark red fluid began to fill the jar, as the blood-stained ground began to inexplicably cleanse itself. When Moonsbane was satisfied that he had enough, with the jar not even half-full, he tilted it back up and screwed the lid back on.

            He looked back at the body, before gazing up at the dark, cloudy skies.

            “Part of me almost hopes you know,” he muttered. “I can almost hope that you felt the boy’s life being severed, that you felt it with your oh-so-keen psychic senses and deep connection to the Orb. Yes, Hikari, I hope that you _do_ know…and that you know how _powerless_ you are to stop me.”

            Moonsbane gave a short whistle, and his Fearow-monster landed from above. The beast now wore a saddle of sorts on its back, the leather twisted around in a strange and complicated manner, with some of it appearing to be far too old to be used for such a demanding purpose. He stuffed the jar of blood into one of the pouches that was crudely sewed onto the strange saddle.

            He preferred to use his motorcycle to travel, but he had not lied to the boy before; he was running out of time to use the Charizard corpse–which the Fearow-beast held gently in its talons–for his dark purpose.

            Moonsbane looked back at the boy’s body. He walked over to it, considering what option to choose. With an uninterested air, the ancient man picked the body up effortlessly in one hand. He then tossed it into a nearby bush without a second thought. He picked up a fallen tree branch, with some of the leaves still attached to it, and gave a brief sweep of the area, covering up most of the circle’s marks with dirt once more. The ground still had some splatter, but most of the splatter had covered Moonsbane. He would wash the blood off later.

            For now, the metallic taste in his mouth would drive him, would give him a burst of energy. There was a lot of work to be done, and not a whole lot of time to do it in. Satisfied that the obvious signs of his ritual were covered, Moonsbane mounted the Fearow-beast’s saddle, and gave a single, sharp kick to the bird’s side.

            The Fearow-monster took off with the youthful-appearing ancient on its back, and disappeared into the stormy skies above.

            A new Age was indeed approaching; the only question that remained was whether it would be Hope or Blood that ruled. 


	14. Headstrong Rage

Mondo leaned casually against a tree. His eyes were shut gently and his chest expanded and contracted slowly with his breath, giving him the appearance of being asleep. A slight breeze ruffled his hair and he tightened his crossed arms against his hoodie.

            “Hrrmmn,” he muttered to himself.

            He blinked his eyes open.

            He lazily gazed upward towards the soft grey clouds. A minute, pinkish shape amongst them caught his attention. Mondo sighed with annoyance.

            “I never get a break, do I?”

            _Not that I really_ deserve _one, do I?_

            Mondo shifted his gaze downward, focusing his sight on a black pebble on the ground near his foot. He absentmindedly kicked it and sighed a second time.

            _I_ did _manage to screw up with my…my charge_. _All those years of work, completely wasted. My mother would be_ furious.

            _In fact, the only positive thing I’ve managed to accomplish is to gain Giovanni’s trust and make myself valuable enough that he respects my opinion as much as even Domino, even though she’s an Elite and I’m not._

            _Though, we do both have an influence on a certain young man._

            Mondo blinked.

            _Well, sort of,_ he admitted.

            He sighed, before he began to walk slowly from the small grove of trees to the large, metallic building further down the ravine.

            _The official Team Rocket Headquarters. A place for Agents and Grunts to keep in shape in between assignments and for Elites to make their reports to the Boss._

            Few were given the location of Giovanni’s personal residence, and fewer were allowed to drop in without a direct invitation, let alone live there. Domino’s acceptance into the Boss’s family–at least from Giovanni himself–made it obvious why she was one of those few.

            _Though nearly every single other member of the Team seems to have absolutely no idea why or how_ I _managed to become one, as well,_ Mondo allowed himself a brief grin before his expression soured again. _They think that I manipulated the system, or did something spectacular on a mission, or that I managed to kill a great enemy of the Boss or something._

            _Just the opposite._

            A memory of blood flashed in his mind, and he shook his head.

            _It won’t do to dwell on_ that _._

            The grunt on guard duty shot him a glare, but let him pass without a word.

            _I was crazy to let myself get involved in this,_ Mondo scolded himself as he navigated the metallic hallways. _I thought I knew what I was getting myself into._

            _Well, I guess this is where those old codgers would say “I told you so,”_ he admitted to himself as he entered a large exercise room.

            He walked alongside a wall towards the shelf of dumbbells.

            “Aren’t you going to change?” A familiar voice caught his attention.

            Mondo half-heartedly turned towards the sound.

            A youthful man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, with a short, blue haircut, stood next to one of the treadmills, leaning against it in a light, casual manner. His teal eyes were at once amused and condemning. He was dressed in the light grey Rocket workout outfit typical for all members, but also wore a red cloth band that signified his status as an Elite.

            “I see you’re back from Johto,” Mondo ignored his question. “How long have you been stationed there?”

            “Three years,” the man said in a dry tone, his expression darkening. “There was a lot of work to be done, and way too many of our resources were scattered and needed to be salvaged.”

            “The G-Men are rather annoying like that,” Mondo fought an urge to smirk.

            “You were supposed to be stationed there yourself, weren’t you, kid?”

            Mondo grimaced at the last word.

            “It was fortunate that I was _not_ ,” his tone darkened. “Or do you not remember?”

            “Ah, yes,” the Elite chuckled. “The assassination attempt. Without you…that would have been a most disastrous night, would it not?”

            “Yeah,” Mondo spat. “Were it not for me, _you_ might now be Giovanni’s successor, Archer.”

            “Now, now,” Archer held up a hand in mock insult. “You know I have no desire to lead the Team,” he continued honestly. “I merely serve the Boss. Absolute leadership is more problematic than it’s worth. Particularly the position of Boss of Team Rocket.”

            “God knows _you_ could never put on a pretty face for the public,” Mondo allowed himself his smirk. “You could never pass for a CEO of a company that’s actually not considered evil by the people.”

            “Please,” Archer shook his head. “I’m not _that_ bad.” He grinned.

            Mondo turned back towards the dumbbells, when he thought he saw a flash of light off of metal out of the corner of his eye. He started to turn towards it.

            “I could be as bad as Moonsbane,” Archer added.

            Mondo turned sharply back to him, rage filling his heart.

            “Elite or not,” he said in a calm tone. “You have no right to say that name so…lightly.”

            “Know your place, Grunt,” Archer glared back. “I met the bastard too, remember?”

            “ _You_ did not witness that man destroy what little shards remained of the Zolton family’s unity. _I_ did.” Mondo reminded the Elite. “And, I’m a full Agent now. Having the Heir in your debt often earns you a promotion, _remember_? Or do you forget _your_ days as an Agent?”

            Archer continued to grimace, but said nothing.

            _Not to mention, we lost one of our best and most noble allies to that murderer._

            Mondo redirected his gaze towards the opposite corner of the room, his expression softening. Archer followed his light of sight, curious as to what had caught his eye.

            “Ah, Silver,” Archer identified the young man in the sword fighting area. The teenager was practicing some form of swordplay Mondo was unfamiliar with, and with a type of blade he couldn’t identify. The dummy was dressed for kendo, but Silver was clearly not practicing that particular form. At least, not correctly, anyway.

            “He’s gotten more and more interested in swordplay over the past few years,” Mondo nodded sharply.

            “Well, without that girl to protect him anymore, he’s got to stand up and be a man,” Archer shrugged.

            Mondo stiffened.

            That girl _has a name, you jerk,_ Mondo fought another urge, this one much more violent. _And, without her, Silver would be dead. Or at least a far more angry person than he already his._

_Not that many people can believe that’s possible._

            Saying nothing to Archer, Mondo walked over towards where Silver was training himself.

            Silver flung himself around in a circle, swinging the sword–which Mondo could now see was wider at the tip than at the hilt–at the dummy. The blade struck the dummy with a loud sound, the blade embedded in the soft padding material. Without releasing the death grip on the sword’s handle, Silver glanced back at Mondo out of the corner of his eye.

            “What do you want?” He growled.

            “That’s a different sword than usual,” Mondo ignored his adrenaline-fueled anger.

            “It’s a falchion,” Silver looked away, yanking the blade out of the dummy. “It’s a little…tougher than I thought.”

            _Fitting_ , Mondo smiled softly.

            “Trying out every blade in the armory, then?” Mondo tried to encourage Silver to think about anything but his anger.

            “Maybe,” he said in a flat tone, twirling the blade in apparent boredom.

            “I might not be an expert, but I know a few tricks with a couple types of blades,” Mondo started carefully. “I could teach you them, if you’d like.”

            “What?” Silver turned towards him, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “Why?”

            “Do I need a reason to help a friend?”

            “Friend?” Silver blinked. “I don’t have…” his voice trailed off, and he continued to blink repeatedly.

            “Don’t you?”

            Silver looked at him, unable to speak. Mondo could almost hear his confused thoughts.

            _How long until he realizes that I saved him that night because I_ care _, not for some ulterior motive? I know he was devastated by her death, but she’s not the only one who loves him._

_Even Giovanni’s remembering what it means to be a father again,_ Mondo reminded himself, feeling a small spark of hope ignite in his chest.

            “I…” Silver hesitated. “You…?”

            “Wasting your time, ain’t ya, punk?” A gruff voice interrupted from somewhere behind Mondo. Mondo turned to see a Grunt smirking as he continued. “This little twerp’s just a weakling. He’ll never be able to stand up for himself. He’ll always need someone there to protect him.”

            _Oh, great_ , Mondo’s anger was mixed with a sense of dread. He turned back to Silver.

            The sixteen-year-old was glaring at the Grunt, his eyes narrow in rage.

            “I’m not weak,” he managed in a low and level voice, though his fury clearly multiplied with each word.

            “I heard that some chick died during that little attack on you a few years back. A waste of a woman’s life, I say, protecting a useless weakling like you.”

            Mondo practically heard the shattering sound of Silver’s already-limited restraint cracking.

            “You… _bastard!_ ” Silver pushed Mondo out of the way and charged the Grunt. The Grunt’s surprise at the teen’s sudden attack caused him to lose his balance, and Silver knocked him back onto the ground easily. Silver stood over him, one foot on his chest, the tip of his sword at the Grunt’s throat.

            At the sound, the entire room stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare with shock and fascination.

            Did the Boss’s kid actually fight back?

            Did the kid _really_ just knock a man nearly a foot taller and twice his weight onto his ass?

            Was he really going to _kill_ the Grunt?

            “Silver,” Mondo breathed. “Don’t.” He reached out, but hesitated from touching Silver’s shoulder, afraid of startling him into actually killing the Grunt.

            “You heard what he said!” Silver snapped. “You heard…. How…how dare you talk about her like that?” He addressed the Grunt. “How _dare_ you disrespect her memory? How _dare_ you objectify her? She was a better and stronger person than you could _ever_ be? If it wasn’t for her, _you_ could be dead now, as well! And, this is how you repay her?”

            “Silver!” Mondo grabbed his shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”

            Silver glanced back at him slightly. Pain was mingled with the wrath in his gaze.

            “She wouldn’t want you to become a killer. Not like this. Not for this.”

            _Not in anyway. Not for anything._

            Silver jerked his shoulder, breaking Mondo’s grip. He bent down and, moving his falchion from the Grunt’s neck, took the man’s jaw in his hand and brought it close to his face.

            “I ought to kill you for this,” Silver said in a low, dark voice. “I probably should slit your throat, send a message, prove just how strong I really am.” He paused for a moment, then sighed deeply. “But I won’t. This time. But, don’t think I will spare you again. And, don’t ever mistake restraint for weakness…or you’ll learn just how strong I am.”

            Letting go, Silver stood up and started to walk away. He noticed an unused archery target on the wall nearby. After a deep, emotional exhale, he flung the falchion at it, and the blade embedded itself deep in the target just two rings from the bulls-eye.

            “Damn,” one of the female Grunts breathed.

            “Looks like he’s not as weak as we though, eh?” Her companion nodded.

            “I guess he didn’t spend all those years hiding in his room, after all.”

            The still tension of the room made Mondo nervous. He reached out towards Silver again.

            “Silver…”

            “I don’t need your help!” Silver turned and snarled. “I’m perfectly capable of fighting my own battles! I don’t need you to protect me!”

            Mondo said nothing. Silver’s hatred was misplaced, but the pain would make him less than likely to listen to logic.

            Silver stormed out of the room.

            “You just gonna let him go?” Archer’s voice startled Mondo.

            “I’ll just make it worse,” Mondo sighed.

            “Maybe. But, eventually he’ll calm down. And he’ll remember your concern. Maybe…”

            Mondo glanced at Archer.

            What was with this guy, anyway? His personality seemed a little…split.

            But, he had a point.

            Mondo could not let Silver feel like he was alone in this. He ran out the door after him.

            “Silver,” Mondo cried out, catching up to the sulking teen.

            “Leave me alone,” Silver growled, not even bothering to slow down.

            “Silver, I know you’re not…”

            “I said leave me _alone_!” Silver stopped and turned back to Mondo in a single, furious motion. “You don’t need to protect me! I don’t need protection! I’m not weak!”

            “Silver, I don’t think…”

            “I’m not weak,” Silver repeated firmly.

            “I just want to help you,” Mondo said quietly.

            Silver’s expression softened somewhat, but the anger wasn’t quite gone.

            “Don’t concern yourself with me,” Silver muttered. “Those that do have a tendency to end up dead.”

            “I’m not going to die on you, Silver,” Mondo insisted. “I’ve been through too much to die now.”

            Silver hesitated.

            “I don’t need your help!” Silver snapped again. “Just…leave me alone…”

            Silver turned and continued to walk away.

            Mondo sighed, but let him go.

            _What am I going to do to with him?_

Before Mondo could continue his musings, he caught the sounds of a small group of people approaching from down the hall behind him.

            _Who…? Wait…I know those voices!_

He turned to see them as they approached.

            _It’s been years, but it feels like a lifetime ago._

            James giggled as he, Jessie, and Meowth walked down the hall. The trio stopped next to Mondo.

            “Hey, kid!” Jessie clasped his shoulder, not noticing as he tensed from the touch. “You seem familiar somehow.”

            “I remember you!” James said cheerfully, swinging a belt he held in his hand. The belt had a couple of Pokéballs attached to it. Mondo’s gaze was suddenly fixed on it, and a chill overcame him.

            “You’re that kid who used to run supplies for us,” James continued. “How long ago was that?”

            “This is dat kid?” Meowth blinked. “It must’a been over five years since we saw ya last!”

            “Really?” Jessie took a step back. “ _You’re_ that little teenage scrap? You were a scrawny thirteen-year-old, last I remember. Now you’re…you’re…”

            _Hot?_ Mondo grimaced. _Yeah, that happens sometimes when boys grow up. They become attractive. How ironic that you notice_ now _, when I no longer have any…need…or desire…for your attention._

            “How old are ya, now, anyway?” Jessie continued. “Nineteen?”

            Mondo shrugged.

            “Don’t really know. Never really cared.”

            “We’re on our way to the Boss!” James said brightly. “We’re taking our latest victory to him in person. A whole belt of rare Pokémon!”

            _More like a belt of…_ Mondo started to think skeptically. Then, his gaze became fixed on the Pokéballs again, and his veins turned to ice. There were miniscule specks of what appeared to be blood on them all. _Death. These ‘balls are the survivor of a death. A terrible death…of an innocent._

            _These three are not murderers. They found these Pokémon left alone somewhere, orphaned. No, their rightful trainer must have been killed by someone…far more vicious._

_…Someone cursed…._

            “Want to see us present our spoils to the Boss?” James grinned. “For old times’ sake?”

            Mondo blinked.

            “S…sure,” he hesitated. _I could use a good laugh. Even if it is internal._

            “We’re gonna get such a promotion!” Jessie snatched the belt from James and started to strut down the hall.

            “Didn’t ya used to carry a torch for her, kid?” Meowth smirked at Mondo when Jessie was out of earshot.

            “…I outgrew it. It was easy, after you guys left Kanto.” Mondo sounded completely uninterested, as he joined them in their slow march towards the stairs leading to the floor where the Boss’s office resided.

            _I just needed to know if...if it was true. My...interest was but a mere cover for my investigations._

            Mondo restrained from sighing as they began their long climb up the staircase.

            _What I discovered…was far more twisted than I thought people were capable of… anymore…._

 

…

 

Aura sighed, and drummed her paws on the wood beneath her. Her legs dangled off of the edge of the pier. The soft scent of the mist of the ocean wafted through her nose. 

            “Good!” Nyx’s voice cut through Aura’s peace.

            Aura’s ears flattened against her head, and her eyes narrowed. Couldn’t they be quieter?

            “Now,” Nyx continued from where he stood in a battle stance on the beach near the pier. “Try to use Dynamicpunch!”

            Ash tried to charge Nyx, but stumbled in the sand, his fist slamming into the ground. Sand was sent flying in all directions. Nyx slammed his eyes shut and covered his face with his ears to block the sand.

            “That…sucked,” Ash moaned.

            “My fault,” Nyx chuckled, uncovering his face. “I should have remembered that Dynamicpunch is really hard on the user’s accuracy. Sorry about that.”

            “Ironic, isn’t it?” Misty’s voice broke Aura’s concentration on watching the training scene. The redhead was standing diagonally behind the Lucario near the end of the pier. “A _Pokémon_ training a _human_ how to battle?”

            “Yeah, it just _drips_ with irony,” Aura muttered. “Nothing like this has _ever_ occurred before, I’m _sure!_ ” The Lucario almost seemed offended.

            “Aura?” Misty sat down next to her on the edge of the pier. “What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing.”

            “You’re…angry. Well, angrier than…than usual.” Misty couldn’t look directly at Lucario.

            “I…!”

            “Try using something of the Normal Element!” Nyx’s voice interrupted Aura’s retort. “Like…Swift, maybe!”

            Aura’s ears remained pressed back against her head, but she allowed herself a deep sigh and the smallest smile.

            “I’m fine,” she sobered her expression, her voice flat and emotionless.

            “Are you…?”

            “Let’s just…change the subject,” Aura remained calm. “Like, are these all really Ash’s Pokémon?” She motioned behind her, where a small group of birds rested.

            “As far as I know,” Misty nodded. “Though I only witnessed him capture Pidgeot and Noctowl. I wasn’t…traveling when he caught Swellow or Staraptor. Nor,” she added, motioning to the boat tied to the pier just below them, “did I see him capture Buizel.” The water Pokémon stirred slightly at the sound of his name. He looked up at them from where he rested on the boat, but said nothing before returning to his nap just as quickly.

            “Why aren’t we flying to the Temple, anyway?” Aura asked. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the Birds carry us directly, rather than have them tied to a boat and guide _it_ through the ocean?”

            “Ash’s idea, not mine,” Misty chuckled, as if that fact explained everything.

            _In a way, it does_ , Aura admitted to herself.

            “Besides,” Misty continued, “Pidgeot might be able to carry Ash and maybe even me, too, but Noctowl is certainly not strong enough to carry anyone but Pikachu, and I have no desire for Swellow to even try. Staraptor _might_ be able to carry a passenger, but certainly not two. So, at least one of us would be left behind.”

            “Not that it would be a difficult decision for you guys to make, though,” Aura grimaced, looking away.

            “We won’t leave you behind, Aura,” Misty put a hand on her shoulder. “We will never abandon you.”

            Aura looked at her, the Lucario’s expression unreadable.

            “We’re your friends, Aura,” Misty smiled.

            “I…you…” Aura started. “I don’t…you’re…” The Lucario stammered a few more words before sighing.

            “Didn’t you say you trust me?”

            “For now.” Aura admitted. “That trust is easy enough to lose,” she warned.

            “I’m not going to hurt you,” Misty reminded her.

            Aura said nothing.

            “At least the boat is more than large enough for all five of us. Six, if you count Buizel, I guess.” Misty changed the subject.

            “Didn’t Ash say you had an…Azurill?” Aura changed it again just as fast.

            “I…I did. I do. Technically,” the Water Trainer was caught off-guard.

            “What happened?” Aura narrowed her eyes.

            “I left it with a friend,” Misty didn’t seem to notice Aura’s suspicion. “Actually, I left it with the same friend that gave it to me in the first place. His name’s Tracey; I’m sure we’ve mentioned him to you before.”

            Aura blinked, but said nothing.

            “I…left it with him,” Misty repeated. “Him and…and my sister.”

            “Why?”

            “Azurill’s just a baby, still,” Misty chuckled. “I figured that it would help keep them from doing…anything, well…irresponsible.”

            “He’s your sister’s boyfriend?” Aura smirked. “I mean, I assume that meant that having them babysit the Azurill was some sort of clever form of birth control.”

            “Yeah,” Misty nodded. “I guess they’re…I mean, they’ve never officially…but…yeah.”

            “Must be genetic,” Aura scoffed.

            “What does that-?” Misty started.

            “Guys?” Nyx’s voice interrupted her.

            Aura and Misty turned to look behind them, to see the Shiny Umbreon, a grin on his face. Ash stood next to him, Pikachu on his shoulder.

            _I can’t believe I didn’t notice them come up here,_ Aura scolded herself.

            “We should get going,” Nyx looked up at the sky. “I’m not entirely sure how long it’ll take for us to navigate our way to the Temple, and we want to get there before dark, if possible.”

            “We don’t want to be out on the ocean at night,” Misty nodded in agreement.

            _I don’t want to be on the ocean at all_ , Aura scowled.

            Pidgeot stepped forward from the other Birds, and stretched his wings, clearly eager to get going.

            Aura looked back at the boat and sighed.

            _I guess I better get this over with._

 

…

 

“Water Gun!” Silver yelled.

            The Totodile shot another burst of water at the Mankey. The wild Pokémon stumbled and fell over backwards, but jumped right back up again. It stamped its feet repeatedly, roaring in anger. The Mankey leapt at Fang, swinging its hands back and forth in a Fury Swipes attack. Fang gurgled in shock and pain.

            “Fang, shake it off!”

            The Totodile shook his head, before nodding with a hiss of determination.

            Nearby the battlefield, the unconscious bodies of several Pidgey and Rattata still rested from being knocked out in earlier battles. The sun was setting behind Silver, its light bathing the sky in a red glow, and casting a cloak of shadow on Silver’s face.

            The Mankey swung its hand in preparation for a Karate Chop.

            “Dodge it, Fang!” Silver’s anger from that morning was still quite clear in his voice.  

            Fang back-flipped just in time and the Mankey lost balance from the continuing momentum of the attack.

            “Finish it! Ice Fang!”

            Fang jumped forward and bit down on the Mankey’s outstretched arm, a chilly aura clear around his mouth. The Mankey shook him off with some wild thrashing before running off, screaming and roaring at the top of his lungs.

            Fang tilted his head slightly in confusion. Why did the Mankey have to run off like that? He was fun.

            “Damn,” Silver muttered. He spun an inactive Pokéball between the fingers of his right hand. “I wanted Fang to get the full amount of experience…” he trailed off.

            A soft rustle in the tall grass slightly to his left caught Silver and Fang’s attentions. A male Nidoran slowly trudged into the clearing. The light purple Pokémon walked in a calm, calculated manner, and looked up at Silver with intelligent eyes. There was a small, short stripe of a darker shade of purple over his left eye.

            _A scar?_ Silver wondered. There was certainly something tough about this Nidoran.

            _Perfect._

            The Nidoran stood a few inches to the left of Fang, staring at Silver. It eventually glanced around, taking in the unconscious Pokémon several feet away and Fang himself, before locking his gaze with Silver’s once more. Fang looked back and forth between Silver and the newcomer, fidgeting with uncertainty of what he should do.

            “You seem to be a strong little guy,” Silver eventually muttered, not really expecting a response.

            The Nidoran stared defiantly at him for another few seconds.

            “Nid!” He eventually barked. He seemed to agree.

            _A survivor,_ Silver decided. _A hardened warrior. Strong, despite his size. Or, perhaps,_ because _of it. How fitting._

Silver looked at the Pokéball in his hand. It was blue and black with a crescent moon symbol near the top: a Moon Ball.

_How perfect._

            Silver stepped to his right in an arch, putting some space between him and the Nidoran.

            “You could get even stronger, you know,” he said. “Fight powerful opponents you’ve never even imagined. I could do that for you.”

            He wasn’t going to force the Pokémon to leave his life, assuming he did manage to catch it. If it would rather live its life in peace out here, in the wilds between Kanto and Johto…well, what right did Silver have to go against that?

            Doing so would only make him as bad as his father.

            “If you want, battle me, and if I catch you, you can come with us. I don’t know where I’ll go, but you can join us. You’ll get your chance eventually.” He sighed. “Or you can leave. We won’t follow if you’re not interested.”

            “Nido!” The Nidoran pawed at the ground. He lunged at Fang, jabbing the Totodile’s shoulder with his horn in a Peck attack.

            “That’s a yes,” Silver smirked. “Fang! Scratch!”

            Fang swiped at the Nidoran, but his claws barely made contact as the Nidoran jumped back and out of range once more. The purple Pokémon roared, and his eyes glowed red in a Leer attack. Fang took an uncomfortable step back.

            “Don’t let it get to you!” Silver broke the spell with a shout. “Water Gun!”

            The blast of water hit the Nidoran with full force, sending it backwards through the air. He landed on the ground with a grunt.

            “Nid,” he growled. “Nidoran!”

            “Bite!”

            Fang ran up to the Nidoran, but it reacted too fast, and Fang caught nothing but air in his jaws.

            The Nidoran tensed. Silver could feel the power of a Focus Energy building in its tiny, lithe body.

            “Ice Fang!” Silver wanted to end this, now.

            The Nidoran’s eyes glowed a deep purple color, and Fang stopped dead in his tracks. The Totodile clenched his head, which swayed back and forth, moaning in pain.

            _Confusion?_ Silver’s eyes widened. _This Pokémon was_ trained.

            Was abandoned.

            It suddenly seemed all the more appropriate to add to his team, now. A group of ragtag fighters from dark pasts, they would be.

            Minus Fang, of course.

            The Nidoran charged at Fang.

            “Snap out of it! Bubblebeam!”

            Fang managed to let out a flurry of bubbles just before the first blow of a Double-Kick could land. The Nidoran was knocked backwards, stunned.

            “Let’s wrap this up,” Silver sighed. “Aqua Jet!”

            Fang was a watery blur, hitting the Nidoran almost instantly, sending it flying.

            “Hope I can aim,” Silver muttered, before activating and chucking the empty Pokéball in his hand at the falling Nidoran. The Moon Ball absorbed the Poison Pokémon in a burst of red light.

            The ball landed in a patch of grass with a soft thud. The button glowed red, and the ball shook for a few moments. Then, both stopped, and Fang gurgled happily.

            Silver did not smile, waiting.

            Sure enough, the button lit up again, and the ball continued to shake.

            Fang murmured in disappointment.

            The ball kept shaking and stopping, then shaking again, as if the Nidoran couldn’t decide if it wanted to be caught or not. Eventually, the ball remained still and unlit.

            Cautiously, Silver walked up to the ball. He leaned over and gingerly picked it up, half-expecting the Nidoran to break free. When it didn’t, he straightened, and allowed himself a small smile.

            _Glad I nicked this Moon Ball from the supply room._ He recalled sneaking in earlier that day, having wanted to be left alone.

            _I caught a Pokémon,_ the fact sank in. _I’m a real trainer, now._

            _Six years late, but finally…a trainer. I can stand on my own._

            “Venom,” he muttered. “Not the most original name, but it’ll fit.”

            He now had a real team, small though it was.

            Silver contemplated the idea of running away and challenging gyms. Maybe in Johto…

            He sighed.

            The Rockets would not let him get far. Archer in particular was very familiar with Johto. Silver would be captured in a matter of days. No, he’d stay with the Team, for now.

            He knew better than to flee his prison, anyway.

            The last time he’d tried….

            “I won’t let that happen again,” He shook his head. “I’ll be stronger next time. With you,” he looked at Fang, “and now Venom…we’ll become stronger than ever together. Then, when we make our stand, no one will be able to stand in our way.

            “Then, we will be free.”

 

…

 

Aura clenched onto the side of the boat behind her, trying to steady herself–and her stomach.

            “Are we there yet?” She growled to herself.

            “What?” Ash yelled back from the front of the boat.

            “ARE WE…?” Aura started to yell, but suddenly had to clench her mouth shut to keep the contents of her stomach down, turning to the edge of the boat.        

            The Birds were tethered evenly to the boat, leading it by instinct. It was a rather smart idea, Aura had to admit, once she’d steadied her stomach. Flying Pokémon as a whole had an instinctual compass for locations important to their individual species, and the Temple was the strongest source of Flying Element energy in the world. It was like magnetic North to that compass, and it could guide any Flying Pokémon to the Temple, if they just let themselves be drawn to it.

            Aura wondered if it worked for other Elements. She certainly felt no draw to either the Fighting or Steel Temples.

            Sitting in the cramped boat, caught in the back end and being shaken up and down by the worsening waves did little to help her be drawn to anything, except being cast overboard.

            “Ash!” Misty yelled out. “I think we’re lost!”

            Aura raised her head to look back over the edge of the boat. All she could see was more and more rolling, dark blue waves under a darkening sky.

            “She’s right!” Nyx nodded from where he sat unsteadily between the humans. “It’s gonna be nightfall very soon, too. We’ve been out here all day! We should turn around while we can!”

            “We can’t! We’re not lost! The Birds know where they’re going! We can’t turn back now!”

            Aura glanced back over her shoulder at the others. Ash was seated at the very front, hands clenching the sides to keep the waves–which were becoming even more violent–from knocking him into the sea. Misty was much closer to Aura, with Nyx teetering with poor balance between them. Pikachu was leaning against Misty for support, who, despite her experience with the ocean, was also gripping the side of the boat nearest her for dear life.

            “This storm is coming out of nowhere, Ash!” Misty yelled over the growing roar of the water around them. “We should at least recall the Birds before it becomes too windy for them to fly safely!”

            Ash started to protest.

            Buizel leapt up into the boat from the sea, shook off some excess water and tapped his ball on Ash’s belt without a word, escaping into it.

            _That was odd,_ Aura blinked. _A Pokémon…recall…itself?_

            _If a Pokémon that arrogant about its abilities decides that it wants nothing to do with this storm up ahead…then we’re in some pretty deep shit._

Aura’s grimace deepened.

            _I’m gonna die out here, surrounded by water, because of the_ Chosen One’s _first real brilliant idea._

“Maybe you’re right,” Ash gave Misty a nervous look. “Return!” He held up a Pokéball at Pidgeot.

            The Bird Pokémon avoided the beam of red light, barely glancing at it. Pidgeot kept flying through the irregular gusts of wind.

            “Return!” Ash tried again.

            Pidgeot flew out of the way once more, shooting his trainer of glare of determination.

            “Great, Ash,” Misty yelled over the sound of the churning waves. “Looks like your stubbornness has rubbed off on him.”

            Ash grimaced at her, before focusing his attention at trying to recall the other Birds instead. His attempt to recall Staraptor not only missed, but the jerk of the boat on a particularly nasty wave almost made him drop the Pokéball into the sea. Swellow jolted to the side hard enough to shake the boat even more, and everyone found themselves tightening their grip on whatever they could to stay on. Noctowl swooped down and pecked the trainer on the head before returning to its shaky flight pattern above them.

            _More like on all of them,_ Aura thought bitterly as she slammed her eyes shut to try to think of anything but the wrenching motion of the boat. The lack of sight, however, only heightened her awareness of being tossed around, and her stomach gurgled in protest.

            “What do we do?” Ash looked desperately between Misty and Nyx.

            “Hey, I’m rusty with the whole, life-threatening situation thing!” Misty shook her head.

            “Island!” Nyx spat out along with a mouthful of salt water. “We need to find an island, _any_ island! _Any_ place we can rest for the night, until the storm passes!”

            “Did ya get that?” Ash yelled up to the Birds. “Forget the Temple! Just find us someplace safe!”

            Pidgeot let out a cry in response, looking around rapidly. The Birds attempts to stay aloft in the violent wind became increasingly desperate.

            Aura opened her eyes gingerly, just in time to see a particularly nasty wave heading towards the back of the boat.

            “Oh sh…” she muttered. Her curse was cut short when the wave made contact, throwing the boat forward into the air, breaking her grip on the wood sides and sending her flying.

            “Aura!” Misty yelled.

            “Nngh!” Ash moaned as the Lucario slammed into him. “Get off,” he muttered.

            “With pleasure,” she snarled, backing up and trying to stand. She stumbled around in the cramped space, almost stepping on Pikachu’s tail and Nyx’s feet several times.

            “Aura,” Nyx tried to reason with her, “sit down before you fall over.”

            “Or worse,” Misty added.

            “I’m _perfectly fine_!” Aura roared over the equally angry storm.

            _They think_ I’m _stubborn,_ Ash was almost amused.

            “I’m no weakling!” Aura continued. “I’ve survived worse storms!”

            “A storm on the sea is far worse than a storm on land!” Misty reminded her.

            “I don’t need your help!” Aura snapped. “I’m more than capable of taking care of-!” Her retort was cut short by another side jolt, and she stumbled sideways. She clenched onto the side of the boat and tried to steady her breathing.

            “ _You’re going to get yourself killed_ ,” Pikachu twitched his nose, giving Aura a concerned look.

            “Shut up!” Aura attempted to stand again, the rage of the storm within her chest. She covered her forehead with her hands, eyes shut from the building headache. “I know you don’t care! No one _cares_! _No one_ cared when I lay _dying-_!”

            The boat churned sharply back and forth again, cutting off Aura’s rant, shaking the occupants with great force. Aura tried to regain her grip on the boat, but the side slipped through her hands and she tumbled headfirst over the edge and into the water.

            “ _AURA!_ ” Misty cried out, while Ash and Nyx could only stare in horror.

            “Ka-Pichu!” Pikachu echoed.

            Before Ash could even think of how to react, Misty threw herself over the edge, throwing a Pokéball as she did.

            “ _MISTY!_ ” He found his voice.

            “Pikachu-pi!”

            “Are you _insane_?” Nyx yelled.

            The red glow from the Pokéball grew and materialized into a large, blue, serpent-like Pokémon. Gyarados roared in rebellious protest to the waves that crashed over him. Misty was clinging to the side of the Water Pokémon’s face.

            “Gyarados! Help me save Aura!” Misty ignored the boys, pointed down into the sea where Aura had disappeared. The serpentine Pokémon dove into the sea, taking his trainer with him.

            Aura kicked wildly around, her hands flailing around in a futile attempt to propel herself upward. She was simply too heavy. She was part-Steel, but that was no excuse. She didn’t realize that in her panic, she was tensing her muscles and making herself sink even faster. She simply could not swim. Her lungs burned, and she struggled to keep herself from inhaling water. She clenched her throat, fighting off the engulfing darkness. It was fruitless.

            Aura opened her mouth and a burst of water rushed through her throat. She felt everything blur together, just as something wrapped itself around her chest and pull her upward sharply.

            _I’m sorry. I…failed you, Hikari._

            _I’m sorry…D…._

The sound of an explosion engulfed what little senses Aura had remaining, and the sweet taste of air filled her mouth. She sighed as her world finished fading.

            “Aura!” Misty yelled at the unconscious Lucario wrapped in her arm. She wasn’t moving and she showed no signs of breathing. “Wake up! Wake up, Aura!” She shook the Lucario with a jolt of her arm. “C’mon! _Breathe!_ ”

            Aura remained limp.

            “Gyarados!” Misty turned to the Water Pokémon she still clung to. “Get us to the nearest island you can find!”

            Gyarados roared in acknowledgement before forcing its way through the turbulent waters, dragging the two girls with him.

            “There!” Nyx yelled from the boat. “There they are!”

            “Follow them!” Ash yelled to the Birds. “We have to stick together!”

            _Please…be okay…_

            Gyarados struggled in the water, trying desperately to keep his trainer from being dragged under with him. He would survive, easily enough. She, however…

            The clouds above now completely covered the sky in a heavy grey color, and began to drop the first few drops of rain.

            “There!” Misty finally yelled. “There! Land! Over there!” She sighed with relief as Gyarados struggled through the waves to the mountain-shaped island. The Water serpent eventually made it to the shallow waters around the beach, just as a large wave crashed into them, throwing them the rest of the way onto the sands. Misty lost her grip on Aura as she found herself slamming face first onto the beach.

            After a moment, Misty pushed herself up away from sand beneath her, spitting out a large mouthful of the granules. She shook her head in vain attempt to get rid of the excess water, the rain increasing to a downpour.

            “Aura!” Misty ran over to the Lucario’s still form. She shook her gently. “Aura!” After no response, she let go, her mind frozen in terror.

            _What…what do I…?_

            In frustration, Misty slammed a fist against Aura’s chest near the base of her neck. The Lucario suddenly gasped for air, and reached out for Misty in a death grip, her eyes wide and bloodshot.

            _Holy…!_ Misty tensed in shock again.

            “They’re multiplying!” Aura moaned in a scratchy voice. “Born in blood, unleashed from death. That is all they bring. Blood. Death. They cannot be stopped. They will kill, kill us all. Kill us all. More are coming. Kill us all. We’re all going to die. We’re gonna…die. Die. All die.”

            _She’s lost it!_

            “Look out!” Misty heard a mingle of voices behind her, and turned to see the source.

            Having been launched upward by a wave, the boat was now flying through the air right towards them. In it, Ash managed to stand and finally recall the Birds all at once. Misty stared as it arced right above her and landed nose-first into the ground. From the momentum, the boat tipped over and flipped completely upside down, tossing its occupants around and under it as well.

            “Ash!” Misty yelled. “Pikachu! Nyx!” Leaving the delusional Aura alone, she ran over to the over-turned boat, and started to dig frantically around one side. She stumbled backwards in surprise, when it appeared to lift itself somewhat out of the sand.

            “We’re okay!” Ash’s voice came from the new gap.

            “A bit shaken, but no one’s hurt!” Nyx agreed. “How’s Aura?”

            “Alive, but she seems to be having some sort of hallucination.”

            “Bring her here, under the boat,” Nyx sounded scared. “We…we should hide under here, wait out the storm and rest until morning.”

            “Good idea,” Misty nodded, forgetting that they couldn’t see her.

            She ran back to where Aura lay, still muttering, curled up on her side in a fetal position.

            “Gyarados!” Misty held a Pokéball up to the nearby Water Pokémon. “Thank you for your help. You’ve earned a good rest, too. Return!” As soon as the serpent was recalled, Misty scooped Aura up in her arms and ran through the rain to the boat.

            “Lift the boat!” Misty yelled over a crash of thunder. As soon as the gap was large enough to allow passage, Misty pushed Aura under the boat and slid through herself.

            It was dark, and the entire, cramped space was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing. Aura’s words were the only thing that broke through them, and were only made worse by the engulfing darkness and the roar of the storm outside.

            “Coming. They’re coming. Kill us all. All die. Die. Crimson eyes. Crimson eyes will kill. Kill us. Surrounded by blood. A river of blood. A sea. Blood, metallic blood. A sea of silver blood.

            “Death has wings.”

 

…

 

The very earth seemed to glow with the light of an unholy energy. The light etched ancient runes and patterns into the soil around the mutated Charizard corpse. The dark red skin of the body slowly turned to a dark brown, before fading to black. Facing the corpse from just outside the archaic markings on the ground was a chanting, slender figure in a cloak.

            The Blood Witch wore a black cloak, its hood down, which only reached just past the small of her back before it frayed off into shreds. The sleeves reached her wrists before they did the same. Under the cloak, she wore a loose-fitting shirt made of patches of various pelts, and a pair of loose slacks made of what appeared to be leather, lined with black fur. Around her waist, she wore a fur belt which held various tools and charms. On her feet was a pair of sandals of the same leather-like material, the straps reaching partway up her legs. On her wrists, arms, and ankles, she wore bracelets and anklets adorned with claws and bones of various sizes and shapes. Her long, black hair was braided, with each braid ending in some sort of small bone as a charm. Around her neck lay a loose necklace of various fangs and claws, leading down to a small, canine-like skull in the middle, which rested just above her bust. Her face bore markings in ash, which made her grey eyes appearing all the colder. 

            She continued to chant until the runes and patterns were complete, forming a circle around the Charizard. The circle glowed with a green light, and the sky above darkened with the sudden formation of heavy clouds. In moments, the sun was all but blocked out entirely, and the only source of proper illumination was the circle.

            “The blood,” the Witch held out her hand towards Moonsbane expectantly, her voice smoother than a polished blade.

            Moonsbane walked towards her, and away from the crude dwelling the Witch called home. He place the jar of the child’s Life Blood in her hand. Without even glancing at him, she took it and removed the lid. She reached into the jar and dipped her right pointer and middle fingers in the blood. She approached the corpse, and started to draw various markings on the head, chanting once more in an ancient tongue.

            “ _Innocent blood, force of pure life,_ ” she moved down the neck, continuing the markings in a series of dots and wavy lines, “ _restore what has been lost._ ” She stopped at the shoulder blades to dip her entire hand into the jar. She marked each wing with a bloody handprint, each surrounded by a series of dots and strange symbols. She then walked back out of the circle and faced the corpse again. She poured the remaining blood into the arcane circle and tossed the empty jar aside.

            “ _Energy stolen, reborn anew,_ ” she raised her hands as they began to glow with a red light, and the circle itself turned red. “ _From the deepest realm of the ethereal shadow, Return. Absorb the power of pure life, and become a beast of absolute might!_ ”

            She continued chanting, the words becoming more and more unfamiliar to Moonsbane. He had once been able to understand every living creature when it spoke, but…like his control over the Elements, it seemed to fade with time.

            The red glow on the Witch’s hands faded, a shadowy mist replacing it. The corpse slowly raised itself to an awkward kneel, its wings half-unfurled. Its eyes opened, revealing them to be wholly white. Small spikes grew and mutated on its brow and joints. Its claws lengthened and became jagged on their undersides. The skin on the horns ripped and tore, revealing the bare bone underneath, as they became ridged and ended at a sharp point. Groups of long, thin poisonous barbs protruded out of its shoulders and a series of large spikes ran down its spine, from the tip of its muzzle to the end of its tail, where a black fire now ignited and burned. It let out a guttural growl as rows of new fangs grew out of its gums with a sickening, wet sound. Its wings stretched as they became more muscular and lined with more spikes.

            The transformation nearly complete, the Returned Charizard let out a much louder and more powerful roar.

            “Step forward,” The Witch beckoned to Moonsbane again. When he approached her, she grabbed his right hand, and drew an obsidian dagger from her belt. He already knew what she wanted, before she took the dagger and sliced straight down his palm. Moonsbane did not flinch.

            The Witch approached the tense Returned Charizard, Moonsbane in tow. With the same dagger, she cut the Charizard’s forehead with a single, downward strike. She then placed Moonsbane’s bloody hand on the Charizard, so that open wound touched open wound.

            “ _Bound forever in blood,_ ” the Witch spoke in her antique language. “ _Serve the Master in eternity, serve as the will’s body and blade. Let it be so._ ”

            The white eyes turned into a dark red that seemed to glow with their own fire. Moonsbane could feel their wounds being magically healed, and a flash of dark yellow appeared and vanished in the Returned’s eyes.

            Another Returned Pokémon was now bound forever to Moonsbane. The numbers that unquestionably followed his will in this manner were small, but the Returned had powers that no ordinary mortal could ever comprehend, let alone overcome. And, this manner of minion control applied only to Pokémon. A human could not undergo the Final Evolution and be resurrected as a Returned, not anymore. Only a human that was at one with the powers of the Elements within him or herself could Evolve. And the only human that even knew that those powers lay dormant within the species was Moonsbane himself.

            But, there were other ways to bind humans to his will, other ways to manipulate their every thought and action. 

            The Returned Charizard growled deeply in recognition of his master. Moonsbane removed his hand. No sooner had he ended the contact, had the Charizard leapt straight up into the air and took off in flight, soaring off into the distance within moments.

            “It must now fly around the world, in order to become in sync with the flow of life’s energy once more,” the Blood Witch said in an uninterested tone. She turned away from where the magic circle faded, the wind blowing the dirt symbols away. The earth was no longer stained with blood, and the clouds began to part and die away again.

            “It will return in a few days to this spot,” The Witch returned her dagger to her belt. “It will then be ready to serve you however you wish.” She turned slightly to look at him. “As for my payment…”

            “I have brought this,” Moonsbane produced a dagger in a leather sheath from under his shirt. “It once belonged to a powerful Mage…long ago.” 

            She took it from him indifferently and unsheathed the blade. The silvery metal glinted briefly in the returning sunlight, reflecting in the Witch’s cold eyes. She resheathed it, and stuck in her belt.

            “I Returned a Charizard,” she said in dull anger. “It was not a Raticate or a Fearow, nor even an Espeon or Skuntank. Such payment is insubstantial for a Returned on a tier as high as Charizard.”

            _Years of solitude has done nothing to hone your manners with your_ betters _,_ Moonsbane grimaced sharply, fighting to control his temper. She would be of no use to him dead, nor did he think he could find another Blood Witch in time. Plus, as rare as those who practiced Blood Magic in general were, he had never seen another female that had retained an eternal youth much like himself. Nor any that were willing to allow his presence beyond business, none that would willingly allow… _companionship_ from time to time.

            She walked back toward her dwelling–a small, half-collapsed outpost made of stone, the gaps covered and rebuilt with wood.

            “I expect a proper payment before the Returned arrives,” she spat without looking at him, standing in the open doorway.

            “I shall then require shelter for the next few days,” Moonsbane smirked. “So that I may safely search, of course.”

            She glanced backwards at him.

            “You dare to impose yourself further onto my hospitality?” She snarled. “Next you’ll be demanding I provide you with rations when I must struggle to sustain myself!”

            Moonsbane took a step toward her, opening his mouth to speak.

            She slammed the door shut, cutting off whatever he had planned to say.

            “I shall return shortly with the evening meal, then,” Moonsbane said, his anger undisguised despite his level tone.

            _Let the hunt begin, then_ , he grimaced as he turned and starting walking into the forest. _Let her be difficult and disrespectful to her elders. It will make my victory all the sweeter, whether it be hours or days from now._

            Within the dwelling, the Blood Witch stood leaning against the door. She exhaled deeply, her expression softening a slight amount.

            _Yes, go off. Win your little victories over me. I am not as solitary as you believe._ Her eyes narrowed. _I may be feeding your strength, your ego, but even as I am returning you to power, I am crippling you, injecting poison into your veins. I may be returning you to your former glory, I might be a tool in your rise to power, but…right before you achieve your ultimate victory…it is then that you will be at your most vulnerable._

            _I’ve made sure of it._

           

…

 

Ash haphazardly pushed the rest of the sand out of his way as he dragged himself clumsily out from under the overturned boat.

            “Mrrmph!” He groaned, blinking his eyes and shaking sand from his hair.

            He sleepily stood and staggered toward the shoreline, yawning and rubbing his dried lips with the back of his hand.

            “Water…” he breathed, stumbling and falling to his knees in the shallow tide. Without thinking, he leaned over and scooped up a handful of water, before drinking it greedily.

            “GAHCK!” He coughed suddenly at the taste. He blinked his eyes rapidly, shaking his head violently. “Salt water!” He looked around rapidly. “What? Why am I…?” He looked behind him at the overturned boat, and the lone island mountain not too far behind it. “Where am I?”

            “That was intelligent,” a female voice to his left startled Ash into falling backwards into the shallow water.

            “Aura,” he glared at the Lucario. “How long have you been awake?”

            She shrugged.

            “About twenty minutes? I didn’t exactly count.” She rubbed her head. “Misty, too. She’s trying to get a reading on our location, but…”

            “But?”

            “Our supplies got…a little wet during the storm,” Aura started rubbing her head. “Our map of Sevii is…difficult to read now. And…and…and damn! This headache! What happened to me last night? Last thing I remember was…the boat rocking…and the storm. And…being…angry.”

            “Because being angry is so unusual for you,” Ash muttered bitterly, dumping a handful of ocean water on the top of his head.

            “What?”

            “Nothing,” Ash shook his head, spraying Aura with water.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu yelled, running up to his trainer and jumping onto his shoulder.

            “Pikachu!” Ash chuckled as the mouse Pokémon rubbed his face against his cheek affectionately.

            Aura blinked in slight surprise for a few seconds, before scowling against with a low growl.

            “You fell overboard,” Ash said softly. “If it wasn’t for Misty and her Gyarados…”

            Aura’s expression sobered. A dark memory of water and pain flashed before her.   

            “She…saved me?” Aura hesitated. “Why? She could have….”

            “That’s a good question,” Ash narrowed his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to…to die. But, I’m not willing to trade Misty’s life for yours.”

            _I will not trade your life for his!_ A voice echoed in Aura’s mind.

            “I don’t want her to,” Aura looked away. “I don’t want anyone bearing me as their burden.”

            _That’s about the nicest thing she’s said to me,_ Ash frowned.

            Ash stood up, shaking his head again to remove what excess water he could.

            “So, then, why…?” Ash started.

            A loud screech cut off their thoughts, and the three travelers all looked up in shock. A Fearow was flying in place in the sky above them, facing a Pidgey in front of it. The Pidgey’s hovering was far smoother and consistent than the Fearow’s awkward and lopsided hovering. The Fearow screeched again in anger, and the Pidgey chirred an irritated response. The Fearow screeched in a higher pitch, just before it struck downward with its talons, hitting the Pidgey square on the head. The Pidgey squeaked in pain as it fell like a brick out of the sky.

            “No!” Ash yelled, and ran towards the falling Bird. He reached out and managed to grab the Pidgey just in time, but staggered forward awkwardly from the momentum for several seconds before stabilizing. The Pidgey looked unconscious in his grip. “You okay?” Ash asked.   

            “Pi-ka, Pikachu?” Pikachu echoed.

            “Mrrrgh?” The Pidgey moaned, blinking groggily. He shifted his gaze towards Ash, but didn’t quite make eye contact. “I think so. Thank you kindly for your impeccable timing.” The Pidgey let out a sharp cry to the Fearow above them. “That was a cheap shot,” he muttered to himself.

            Ash blinked. He wasn’t sure that he would ever get used to all these Pokémon speaking in human language.

            _Wait,_ Ash made a sudden connection. _A talking, Flying-type Pokémon? The Flying Temple has got to be nearby, it just_ has _to be._

            “Are you from the Flying Temple?” Ash asked abruptly.

            “Wait…” The Pidgey said suddenly. “These aren’t talons! You’re a human!” The Pidgey pecked at Ash’s hands until the teen released him. The Bird Pokémon started to hover in the air in front of him, still not quite looking directly at him. His eyes looked slightly glazed over, and the feathers around his eyes looked permanently singed.

            “I’m…I’m Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town,” Ash introduced cautiously. “I’m…the…the Chosen One.”

            “Are you?” The Pidgey mused. “Yes…how else could you know…know about the Temples? Let alone where they are?”

            “Um…yeah,” Ash hesitated. “So…am I anywhere near the Flying Temple, at least?”

            “You’re there,” the Pidgey said in disinterest. “I can lead you to the Sage, if you’d like.”

            “Ngh,” Ash looked to his right at the new voice. Nyx walked over in a dazed manner, blinking away the last bit of sleep. “Oh, a Pidgey.” He looked over to the island mountain. “Oh, we must be there, after all. That mountain…” Nyx perked up, grinning enthusiastically. “That’s the legendary Sky Temple!”

            “How can you tell?” Ash asked the Shiny Umbreon. “Not that I don’t believe you.” Ash turned to the Pidgey. “Or you.”

            “You see the sort of ridge, where the mountain seems to…jut inward sharply before rising up to the summit like normal?”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded, staring at the Mountain.

            “Hey,” Misty startled the others as she walked up to them, carrying a still-soaked map loosely in her hands. “What’s going on?”

            “Ah, good!” Nyx said brightly. “I’ll only have to explain this once. Well, right there, where the mountain suddenly changes…well, that is because…that’s not the mountain anymore.”

            “What.” Ash blinked, his voice flat.

            “Well, the mountain itself is like a circular ring, relatively flat on top with a huge crater. Or, so I’ve read and heard. This is my first time here.” He chuckled nervously. “But, what you see as the summit, or the part that leads up to the top, that’s a completely separate mass of land that…well…you see, it….” Nyx’s voice faltered.

            “It floats in the air just above the lake at the bottom of the crater,” The Pidgey finished.

            “ _What_.” Ash gaped at the Pidgey. Misty dropped the map and Pikachu nearly fell off his trainer’s shoulder.

            “ _How?_ ” Aura demanded. “ _How_ the _hell_ do you expect us to _believe_ _that_?” Her ears flattened back against her head. She pointed at the mountain, glaring at the Pidgey. “I’ve put up with a lot of magic mumbo-jumbo lately but, _come on!_ ”

            “The Shrine rests deep in the caverns in the floating land,” the Pidgey remained calm, not even looking at Aura. “The power of the Flying Orb keeps the land aloft. Or so everyone tells me. As far as I can tell, they’re not lying.”

            “Then,” Ash scratched his head, “wouldn’t removing the Orb cause the floating mountain thing to fall?”

            “Very, very gradually,” the Pidgey admitted, “but it wouldn’t start for at least a few decades, it’s been infused with the power of the Flying Element so long. And, when it did start to fall, it would be a very slow process, allowing us plenty of time to react and accommodate for it. At least, that’s the theory.”

            “Who’s this?” Misty asked, looking at Ash.

            “A Pidgey,” Ash pointed out the obvious first. “He was attacked by a Fearow and fell out of the sky. I caught him, and he told me where we are.”

            “My name is Lucian,” the Pidgey briefly bowed his head. “I’m glad to meet you, Ash Ketchum, Chosen One. And, of course, that extends to your companions.”

            “Pika Pikachu!”

            “I’m Misty.”

            “Nyx.”

            “Ah, Nila’s protégé,” Lucian nodded. “I’ve heard your name many times.”

            Nyx twitched nervously.

            “Sage Alya speaks highly of you and the Night Sage.”

            Nyx visibly relaxed, his grin returned.

            “But, I thought I heard another voice.”

            “Voice?” Aura repeated. “So…you _are_ blind?”

            “Aura!” Misty breathed.

            “It’s alright,” Lucian chuckled. “Yes, I am blind. Don’t worry, I more than get by without sight. I might get dealt cheap shots from time to time, but I’m still more than capable of flying on my own.”

            “How?” Aura narrowed her eyes.

            “There are ways that lacking sight can enhance other senses used in moving through the skies.”

            Aura opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it, and closed it again.

            “So, shall I go and fetch the Sage, and some Birds to escort you all to the temple?” Lucian offered. “I assume, miss…Aura, was it? I assume that you are not a Flying Pokémon, am I right?”

            “Unless I was not made aware of a Lucario’s ability to sprout wings and fly off into the sunset,” Aura said dryly.

            “Then,” Lucian ignored her bitterness, “with your permission, Chosen One?”

            “S-sure,” Ash stammered.

            With that, Lucian ducked his head politely once more, before turning and flying off toward the mountain.

            _The Flying Temple,_ Ash reminded himself.

            “We really made it, after all,” Ash said, almost not willing to believe it.

            “I thought for sure that the storm last night had thrown us off course,” Misty nodded.

            “That storm…” Nyx twitched his ears. “It wasn’t natural.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash turned and gave him a look.

            “I mean, it wasn’t a storm made by natural forces. It was the by-product of some great power…of an evil power.”

            “What?” Ash asked. “You mean, like some sort of evil magic?”

            “Like the kind that Odin warned us about?” Misty added.

            “Yes…” Nyx nodded. “And…no,” he shook his head sharply.

            “Is it the type that involves monsters?” Aura asked suddenly.

            “What?” Nyx tilted his head slightly at her.

            “Monsters,” Aura repeated slowly, as if to a small child. “You know, like creatures that look like Pokémon, but they’re not. As if they came straight from the mouth of Hell, instead. Creatures of death.”

            “Are they born from blood,” Misty interrupted, “or however a Sage would word it?”

            Everyone looked at her.

            “What do you mean?” Aura asked.

            “Something you said last night,” Misty shrugged, “after I got you to shore. You were in some sort of trance, rambling on and on about how monsters were going to come and kill us. You said something about them being created from blood, or something like that.”

            “The Returned,” Nyx muttered under his breath so no one could make it out. _Can we be so unlucky?_

            “Have you met a monster like…that?”

            “I fought one, once,” Aura said softly. “I think…I think it was a Houndoom. Once…a long time ago. Before some evil magic changed it into…an eldritch abomination.”

            “How did you live?” Nyx asked. Was it possible that she could have even defeated…?

            “I almost didn’t,” Aura admitted in a voice so low that Ash had trouble hearing her.

            “What happened?” Misty asked cautiously.

            Aura didn’t speak, focusing her gaze on the sand between her paws.

            “Aura?”

            “We were betrayed.”

            “We?”

            “I didn’t always live alone,” she growled. “I used to have a family, too, you know.”

            “What…happened?” Misty repeated.

            “I told you,” Aura said in a low tone. “We were betrayed.”

            “How?” Ash demanded.

            “Our greatest enemy was led right to us,” Aura snarled, “during our most vulnerable moment.” She clenched her head with one hand. “The monster…. His demonic pet….”

            Misty walked to her side, and gently placed a hand on Aura’s arm.

            “We can talk about it later, if it’s still too painful,” she said softly.

            “Not…that,” Aura rubbed her forehead. “Just…complicated. So…much to explain…” she looked up, and into Ash’s eyes.

            _Dark blue eyes._

_His eyes._

            Aura shrugged out of Misty’s grip, baring her teeth in a snarl.

            _He doesn’t deserve to know_.

            _None of them do._

            “It doesn’t matter,” she spat. “You can’t change the past.”

            “No,” Misty agreed. “You can’t. But, you _can_ have an effect on your future.”

            “ _Exactly_ ,” Aura narrowed her eyes, glaring right at Ash. “No one will ever have more control over my destiny than me…ever again. I live for me, and no one else.”

            “That’s not what I meant,” Misty sighed.

            “Why are you glaring at _me_?” Ash’s expression darkened.

            “You don’t even _know_ ,” Aura scoffed.

            “Know _what_?” Ash exasperated. “You’re not making any sense!”

            “You couldn’t understand if I spelled it out for you!” Aura snarled. “It’s beyond your limited intelligence!”

            “Hey!” Ash yelled back. “I don’t deserve-!”

            “ _Deserve?!?_ ” Aura roared. “ _You have no idea how much you don’t deserve!_ ”

            Misty closed her eyes and sighed in frustration.

            “ _You have no idea what pains and sorrows you’re responsible for!_ ” Aura continued, her rage overwhelming her thought process. “ _You have no idea how much you’ve disrupted in my life!_ ”

            Whock!

            “ _Nahng!_ ” Aura groaned as Misty’s palm made contact with the back of her head. The Lucario’s face was frozen in an expression that was half rage and half shock. The others simply gawked at Misty.

            _Attack Aura while she’s in full rage?_

            _Is she_ insane?

            Aura turned slightly to face Misty. The Lucario’s face lost nearly all sign of anger, while Misty’s found it. The teen clenched her jaw, her eyes slammed shut as she tried to contain her anger. Aura stared at Misty, her arms limp against her side and her mouth agape.  

            “What the hell?” Aura finally found her voice.

            “That was completely uncalled for!” Misty scolded. “Ash did nothing to you. Not once! He didn’t make you follow us and he didn’t sprain your ankle in the mountains. And, he certainly is not the person or Pokémon that betrayed you. None of us deserve your attitude!”

            Aura stammered, trying to form a complete thought. She gave up after a few moments, and directed her gaze down at the sand with a defeated scowl, ears flattened back against her head again.

            “Wow,” Ash breathed.

            “Don’t think you’re off the hook, mister,” Misty narrowed her eyes at him, before returning her focus to Aura.

            “We just want to be your friends,” Misty lightly touched Aura’s arm again. “You can let go of the pain, now. You don’t have to bear your past alone anymore. The only person keeping you from having a family again is yourself.”

            “I…” Aura hesitated. She looked at Misty, her eyes filled with confusion and conflict. She turned to Nyx.

            The Shiny Umbreon grinned and nodded sharply.

            Aura looked up at Pikachu, who was still seated on Ash’s shoulder.

            “ _We’re all you have left now, you know,_ ” the Electric mouse said softly.

            Aura looked at Ash, their gazes locked.

            _All I have left…_

            “Aura,” Ash said calmly, but it was not his voice she heard.

            _All I have left…of him._

            _Of them_ , she corrected herself.

            “I…” Aura started again, but faltered. “It’s not…It’s a long….” She looked down at the ground. “It’s comp…”

            _But, then, it’s really not that complicated, is it?_

            “I…”

            “You don’t have to spill everything right now,” Misty let go of Aura’s arm. “But you do need to apologize.”

            “What?” Aura scowled.

            “Apologize to Ash,” Misty repeated herself.

            _I will not apologize to a_ human _,_ Aura crossed her arms. _Humans betrayed me. Betrayed us. A human nearly killed me. Thought I was dead._

            “Aura.”

            Aura sighed bitterly. She opened her mouth to speak.

            Fwwwmm!

            The entire group turned in surprise at the sound of several Birds landing on the sand nearby them. Lucian flew up towards the others.

            “Sorry that took so long,” Lucian muttered. “I was…delayed…by skepticism.”

            “It’s all right,” Ash chuckled.

            “I am Zeru,” A Staravia walked forward. “I am the Head Aide to the Sage, and we are here to carry you to the Temple.”

            “Th-thanks,” Ash stammered. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be used to all the Temple Pokémon speaking human language. “I-I mean, I…”

            “And, I,” A Pidgeot with a soft, motherly voice approached Ash. “I am Alya, the Flying Sage.” She bowed her head in respect. “It is a great honor to meet you, Chosen One, and to welcome you to the Temple of Sky.”

            “Um, thanks,” Ash wasn’t sure how to respond.

            “Now, come,” Alya took a step back and turned slightly. “Daylight is short, and there is much to do before the sun sets. We must all gather in the Temple. My fellow Birds and I shall bear you there.”

            Ash gave Alya a blank look.

            “Get on her back,” Aura translated in a dry tone. “She’ll take you to the Temple. The other Birds will carry the rest of us.”

            “Oh,” Ash blinked, before hesitantly climbing unceremoniously onto Alya’s back. 

            A Crobat approached Aura.

            “ _As one of the strongest flyers in the Temple_ ,” it spoke to her in its native tongue, “ _I have volunteered to carry you. You may be part Steel, but you will be safe with me_.”

            “Rrright,” Aura scoffed. “I’d rather walk.”

            “It’s a long climb,” Lucian warned her. “You’d be better off just sitting here on the beach until the Chosen One has finished his task here.”

            Aura’s scowl deepened before she sighed in frustration. She reluctantly accepted the ride on Crobat’s back. Almost instantly, the Crobat lunged into the sky. Aura clenched the bat Pokémon’s ears desperately, slamming her eyes shut. After a few irregular jerks in the air, the flight mostly evened out. She opened her eyes.

            The clouds showed no hint of the previous night’s violent storm. The beach and overturned boat shrunk to miniature beneath them. Aura’s stomach remained calm, as she stared down at the ground for a moment, before turning her gaze to the mountain.

            The wind ruffled her fur and rustled in her jacket. She had forgotten how that felt. She had forgotten how liberating it felt to feel the wind caress her face, her ears flapping uncontrollably in its flow. She had been bound to the ground for so long…she had forgotten that the sky was the one place she had ever felt free.

            _I am free_ , the words finally crept into her mind. _I have been free for years._

            Misty’s advice echoed in her mind, and she realized there was more to them than what was spoken.

            _The only person that’s been keeping me enslaved the past few years…was me._

_Now, I’m setting myself free._

_I am free._


	15. Sky

Silver walked slowly through the hallways of the Team Rocket Headquarters. He was rolling the two Pokéballs containing Fang and Venom through the fingers of his right hand. He glanced at them, cupping them in his palm.

            _Silver,_ the memory of a soft voice echoed in his mind.

            He stopped walking, and curled his hand into a fist around the Pokéballs.

            _Why do you bother?_ His voice, younger and lighter, responded in the memory. _I’m always causing you trouble. You’re always getting hurt…because of me. They’re right. I’m not worth it. I’m…I’m too weak to protect._

            _I don’t protect you because you’re weak._

            Silver lifted his jacket and replaced the ’balls on the back of his belt.

            _I protect you because you make me stronger than I am on my own._

            Silver approached a door, grudgingly opened it and entered the stairwell. He hung his head as he slowly scaled several flights of the stairs. 

            _You give me a reason to be strong._ The gentle voice was barely audible, even in recollection.

            Silver stopped in front of a cold, grey door. There was no window, unlike the other doors in the stairwell. Instead, there was simply a dark red, metallic R bordered in black.

            Silver reached down his shirt and pulled out a small charm that hung on a usually-hidden leather necklace. It was an old, top-half of a strange Pokéball. It looked like a purple and black Ultra Ball of some sort, but it had a third ridge on the top, which had been hollowed out slightly to allow it to be threaded onto the leather. The silvery metal shown through in several places where the purple paint had flaked off over time. It was older than Silver, but other than that, he wasn’t sure how long ago the unique ’ball had been made.

            The feminine voice spoke once more in his mind.

            _I...I love you._

            Silver clenched his eyes and desperately fought back tears. After a few moments, he exhaled deeply and replaced the half-ball under his jacket. He rubbed his forehead, took a step toward the door, and leaned forward against it.

            “I…” Silver breathed, his voice rough and dry. “I love you, too.”

            He gingerly rubbed his left shoulder as he straightened himself again.

            _I’m…I’m sorry._

            He opened the door with more effort than he was used to. He had forgotten how heavy it was compared to the rest in the Headquarters. He entered a small foyer-style room. The walls were lined with red chairs placed thoughtlessly in crooked lines.

            _Am I the only person who ever actually sits in these chairs?_ Silver scowled in disappointment. _They look exactly the same as they did…_

            Silver shook his head.

            _This room is nothing but bad memories. Just another set of reminders…that I’m chained and caged. There is no key._

            He cautiously reached out and touched the leaves of a plant that was growing haphazardly in a large clay pot between two of the chairs. It was the only thing in the room that had grown, besides Silver himself. The only thing that had changed. The leaves were cool between his fingers, and smoother than he remembered. Silver wondered who bothered to even water the plant. Giovanni? Certainly not. The bastard was too self-involved to even bother to raise his own son properly. Dagger? Yes. Dagger had enough of a soul to care about something as insignificant as a plant.

            Silver let go of the plant.

            If there was one person who understood what it meant to be helpless as they lost a loved one, it was Dagger. How someone so close to Giovanni could have developed any sort of heart, Silver couldn’t fathom.

            He looked towards the wooden door to Giovanni’s office, and at a chair just before it, on the left side of the hall. Silver blinked, and suddenly the chair was no longer empty.

            There was a young boy, about thirteen, sitting there. He was leaned over so far forward that it was a wonder that he didn’t simply fall right off. His face was completely obscured by his long, red hair, which was tangled and half-covered in a dried, dark red fluid. His black hoodie was splotched in various places with a dark substance, and the cloth was torn in several places, a particularly nasty looking rip across the chest. His arms were stiff, his hands gripping the seat of the chair on either side of his legs, as if it was the only thing that kept him from falling over. He was visibly trembling and making some sort of strange sound; it was as if he was trying to breathe through a mouthful of marbles, and every so often, he would force a burst of oxygen through his nose with a loud snort.

            Silver blinked. He didn’t want the memory to return. But, he knew he would not be able to fight this one off. This was why he hadn’t been to this room in over three years.

            A lanky teenager in a torn, black Rocket Uniform approached the memory of young Silver. His brown hair as disheveled and stained with dried blood as the young Silver. The teen gingerly placed a hand on the young Silver’s shoulder.

            “Silver,” his voice sounded rough, as if he hadn’t had a drink in weeks. “I’m…”

            “Get off!” The memory-Silver stood up suddenly, shoving the younger Mondo back with what little strength he had. Mondo stumbled back, his brown eyes making contact with young Silver’s bloodshot, dark blue eyes. “You’re just like him! You just stood there! You just watched! You watched him kill the only person who ever loved me! You did _nothing!_ ”

            “Silver,” Mondo’s face was frozen in a state of shock and confusion.

            “You’re just as evil as Giovanni!” The young Silver sobbed in rage. “ _I hate you!_ ”

            And, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the memory faded back into Silver’s mind.

            _Mondo_ , he thought.

            Had he really meant to say that to him? He knew now that Mondo was quite possibly the only reason he was still alive. But…but it was still so easy to blame him for her death. Her murder.

            He had still watched and done _nothing._

            _No one does anything for anyone else here_ , Silver reminded himself. _Everything is for their own gain. Even promotions amongst the Rockets are done solely so that Giovanni keeps getting results and keeps his underlings under his control._

            _Even I am only here…for the purpose of Giovanni’s plan for world dominance. Heaven knows he’d never do anything for me…to even attempt to make me happy. Never. He never even bothered to comfort me when…_

            Silver sighed.

            _Then, I might as well get this over with._

            Silver inhaled deeply, hesitating. After composing himself, he raised his fist and knocked on the large wooden door.

            “Enter,” A deep, powerful voice came from within the room.

            Restraining a groan of distaste, Silver turned the bronze-colored handle and pushed the door open. He calmly entered Giovanni’s office.

            “You wanted to see me… _sir_?” Silver tried to put all of his thoughts and emotions into that last word, to make it painfully clear to his father what he thought of being in his presence. 

            He looked around.

            Giovanni sat in a tall, black chair behind a large, beautiful wooden desk. The desk was bare but for a belt with several Pokéballs, two Pokéballs that lay separate, a sword, and what appeared to be a large, folded black cloth. Standing on one side of Giovanni was Archer, in full Elite Uniform, the new white shirt complemented by a Rocket badge on the left side of his chest. On Giovanni’s other side stood a woman with medium-length red hair and narrow red eyes, wearing a new dress-style Elite uniform with a similar badge.

            _Ariana_ , Silver identified her. _Thought she was heading the operation in Sevii right now._

            Nonchalantly leaning against the side of the desk near Ariana was Domino, in her full Elite uniform, several black tulips attached to her belt. Her dark expression brightened at the sight of Silver, making his stomach turn in protest. Mondo stood nearby her, leaning back against the wall. His expression was calm. Near the opposite wall, not far from Archer, stood two Agents–one male, one female–and a Meowth. Silver couldn’t remember their names, but he recognized the woman’s face from a file he’d hacked into a few times.

            _Miyamoto’s daughter_ , he grimaced. _Competence must skip a generation in her family. Those three are bumbling idiots, and cause a lot of our funds to run dry. Which is causes my father a lot of trouble, particularly with his…public identity._

            _Second thought, maybe they’re not so bad._

            Back, behind everyone else, stood Dagger. He seemed to have melded into the window, appearing to be little more than a shadow with eyes from his position. The aging, male Lucario’s gaze was fixed on Silver, watching his every action.

            “Silver,” Giovanni started. “I regret that we must accomplish this with such…little ceremony, but we have decided that it’s for the best. We want this to be as…safe a procedure as possible.”

            _What?_ Silver did nothing to hide his confusion.

            Giovanni stood.

            “Approach.”

            _Would a “please” kill you?_ Silver glared, though he obeyed.

            Giovanni produced a piece of paper and a pen, and placed them on the desk in front of his son.

            “Silver Zolton,” Giovanni continued with an air of formality. Silver flinched at the sound of the surname, but said nothing while his father continued. “It has been agreed and decided upon that you have not been given the opportunities you have earned and deserved over the past sixteen years.”

            Silver narrowed his eyes. Where was this going?

            “The first step we can make to right where we have so wronged you all these years is…to offer you free enlistment.”

            “As a Rocket?” Silver’s shock preceded his fury at the notion.

            “And a rank,” Giovanni dispelled his son’s rage with more confusion.

            “Rank?” Silver blinked.

            “As an Elite.”

            Silver simply stared at his father’s emotionless face.

            _An Elite? My father…is giving me a rank? Power?_ He looked at Archer and Ariana. _I’d be their equal?_ He gave Domino a quick glance. _I would finally be out of_ her _shadow?_

            _I’d be a_ Rocket _,_ he reminded himself. _I’d be an official part of their…villainous scum._

            _But with power,_ a velvety voice whispered in the back of his mind. _You’d be in control of your own life, you’d be able to leave Viridian much more often. You’d hold authority over the people around you. No more kiddy treatment. No more bodyguards to ditch. No more chains. Freedom. Power. Something worth living for. Maybe even…some closure…._

            Silver shook his head, trying to ignore the throbbing of a building headache.

            “Is that an order?” Silver tried to remain calm.

            “No,” Giovanni spoke in what had to be the kindest tone Silver had ever heard him use. “This is completely your choice to accept or decline. But, the offer is made, and supported by those that would be your peers, and your direct subordinates.”

            _Subordinates,_ the velvet voice repeated the word. _You’d have people doing what you say. You wouldn’t be expect to just be daddy’s obedient little son anymore. You’d have control._

            Silver felt torn.

            _I don’t want to be a Rocket._

            _I don’t want to be treated like a little kid, either._

            _Elites have Pokémon,_ a realization came over him. _After a little while, I wouldn’t have to hide Fang anymore. Or Venom. There’d be fewer secrets to hide, less to avoid my father’s anger for._

            “I…” Silver started. “I…I…” He wasn’t sure which he’d regret more.

            He tried to decide which would give him a better opportunity to _really_ be free one day.

            _Power. Control. Equality. Respect._

            His head throbbed.

            _Freedom._

            “Okay,” Silver said before he knew he’d made a decision.

            Dagger’s eyes softened, Domino turned with a start, and Mondo nearly fell in shock. Silver saw their movements out of the corner of his eye, but ignored them as he picked up the pen–though he could not fathom why–and signed his name on the required lines of the document naming him as an Elite Officer.

            Rage and self-hate rose in Silver’s chest again as he looked at his signature. What was he doing? Why was he signing himself away? Why?

            Why did he feel… _proud_?

            _I’m an Elite. The only person I_ have _to answer to now is my father, and he fully knows that I’ll always resent him, no matter what bones he throws me._

            He looked to his left at Mondo. The older teen was supporting himself with one arm against the wall, mouth slightly open in surprise. Nearby him, Domino gave Silver a smile that made his innards churn with disgust.

            “Then, in the presence of my top Elites as witnesses,” Giovanni maintained a professional air, “you are now an official Rocket and an Elite. As for your first order, you are to stay here at Headquarters until information needed for your first mission is complete and a suitable squad of Grunts can be gathered to follow your orders during said mission.” He picked up the two loose Pokéballs and held them over the desk towards Silver. “As an Elite, you are entitled to use Pokémon, if you so choose. As such, I have personally hand-picked two of the finest Pokémon I have raised over the past several years. These Pokémon will be the beginning of a powerful team, should you choose to accept them.”

            Silver numbly took the Pokéballs–a Luxury Ball and a Dusk Ball–and stared at them for a moment, before looking up at Giovanni.

            _Who the hell are you, and what did you do to the bastard that sired me?_ Silver couldn’t believe that this was real. _And, can he stay wherever you’ve put him?_

            Silver sent out the Pokémon for inspection.

            The Luxury Ball sent out a Scyther, and the Dusk Ball had contained a Sneasel. The Scyther tilted his head curiously at Silver, his eyes warm. The Sneasel swiped her claws against each other like a chef with knives, glaring coldly at everyone in the room, before she settled her sights on Silver.

            _Scyther evolve into Scizor, which are red in color,_ Silver thought quickly. _So, I’ll name him Red. Nothing too fancy or unique, but it’ll be endearing enough. And for the Sneasel…_

            “Snea!” The Sneasel barked at Silver’s obvious focus on her.

            _Something a bit less obvious, then. A feminine name should work. Something uncommon._ His mind raced. _Minerva? I guess it’ll work. I’ll run it by her and the others once it’s just me and the…the team._

            It sunk it that his team had just doubled in size.

            _A few weeks ago, I was a Pokémon-less teen in a world of trainers. Now, I have_ four _Pokémon on my team. If nothing else good comes of this…Rocket thing, at least I’ll become a strong trainer, with strong Pokémon. And, no one will push me around…ever…again…._

            Silver recalled the Pokémon and put the ‘balls in his jacket’s front pocket. He nodded curtly at Giovanni.

            _My father has never earned a thank you from me once in my entire life. Throwing me a bone won’t change that now._

            “I have also heard that you have been training yourself the past couple years in swordplay,” Giovanni continued. “As such, I am granting you this blade as your own, personal weapon, to use in your missions as you see fit.” He motioned to the sword. “I was informed that you were recently partial to this style of sword, and decided that this particular one would be…personally appealing to you.”

            Silver picked it up. The sword appeared to be a normal, though broad, blade. However, it curved inward on one side to a point on the other near the end of the blade.

            _A falchion_ , Silver recalled. The sword was quite beautiful, with intricate carvings on the hilt and the disk-like shape at the bottom of the handle. The rest of the handle was wrapped in a dark purple cloth of some kind, with a word stitched just under the hilt in white thread. Silver cautiously swung the falchion around to read it.

            His eyes went wide in recognition, and he looked up at his father. Giovanni simply nodded.

            _My grandfather’s sword…_ Silver felt a strange connection to the blade. He wasn’t used to caring about his bloodlines, outside of the mother he’d never really met. But…his grandfather had done his best to rebel against Giovanni’s mother when she had been Madame Boss.

            _Before he was murdered…_.

            A new, quiet rage lurked in Silver’s heart.

            “Aw, look,” Jessie nudged James in the shoulder. The motion caught Silver’s eye, and he looked over to where they stood in the corner as Jessie continued. “The Boss’s twerp is taking his first steps in following his path.” She almost seemed to think it was cute.

            “Like father, like son?” James said in a quiet, nervous voice. He kept glancing over at Giovanni, who was now looking at the trio without emotion.

            Silver shot them a glare.

            _I’m nothing like this bastard!_

            “Ah, yes, you three,” Giovanni seemed to have only just remembered that they were present. “I now have a new assignment for you.”

            “Really?” Meowth asked excitedly.

            “Your…success from yesterday has brought me to consider new options for you. You are now reassigned; all previous objectives are to be abandoned from this point forward.”

            The three blinked. Did he mean…they weren’t allowed to follow the twerp around for his Pikachu anymore? What could possibly be more important than stealing the Electric mouse?

            “You are now assigned directly to Elite Silver,” Giovanni went on. “You are to take all your orders from him, before any other Elite or commanding officer, other than myself. Until further notice, his orders to you now have my absolute approval.”

            _I don’t need your help to inspire obedience in my Agents,_ Silver grimaced.

            _Elite Silver_ , the words echoed in his mind, creating a strange swelling feeling in his chest. _My Agents..._

            “Agent Mondo,” Giovanni turned back and towards the teen. “You have shown a deep loyalty to the Team over the past several years, and towards Elite Silver in particular. As such, you are now permanently assigned to him as a personal Agent, until he either dismisses you, or one or both of you is…completely incapacitated. It is my personal hope that you will show him the same undying allegiance and fortification as I had from Archer and Dagger over the years.” He held out the belt of Pokéballs from the day before. “May these Pokémon aid you in this perpetual mission.”

            Mondo walked forward, staring at the belt in what appeared to be horror. He shook his head and took the belt, thanking Giovanni softly. He bowed his head slightly towards Silver.

            “It is an honor to serve you…sir,” he spoke in a genuine tone.

            Silver blinked, unsure what to say. Mondo had always been strangely interested in Silver’s life and health, but never had really shown any recognition that he would one day be following Silver’s orders. Silver couldn’t decide if he liked this teen, maybe three years his senior at most, calling him “sir.”

            “Lastly,” Giovanni turned his attention back to his son. “You are now presented with new attire, to signify your new position as an Elite.” He motioned to the pile of clothes.

            Silver gingerly touched them with his free hand, noting the minimal change. The jacket was still black with red markings, though no pockets, and a red bar-like marking on what would be his right side of his chest. The pants were still black, though with a lighter ring around the legs just above where his knees would probably be. He assumed he was still expected to wear a black T-shirt underneath the jacket. There were also new black shoes, slimmer and lighter, also sporting red markings. He awkwardly picked them with his free left hand and put them under his arm.

            Silver looked at his father.

            _Why?_

            Before he could manage to string to together a complete question to ask Giovanni, Domino started to approach him. She reached out and gently touched his arm.

            “Silver.”

            With a scowl, Silver turned sharply out of her light grasp, and walked out of the office without another word.

            “Not exactly touchy-feely, is he?” Silver heard James say behind him as he left.

            “Some things never change,” Jessie agreed with her partner.

            _What is happening?_ Silver’s mind raced again. _Why is this happening? Why now?_

            His head pounded with a headache unlike any he’d ever felt before, and he almost dropped his grandfather’s sword down the stairs from the pain.

            _Why did I agree to this?_

 

…

 

The Flying Temple consisted not only of the caves, caverns and tunnels in the floating mountain, but those in the ring mountain as well. The cave Ash and the others were currently resting in was located in the ring. The stone floor and walls were smooth from countless years of wear and erosion. Ash, Misty and Nyx were sitting near a wall, looking out of the cave at the cliff sides of the Flying Temple. Pikachu was curled up in his trainer’s lap, sound asleep. Aura was sitting cross-legged against the opposite wall, head bowed and eyes closed.

            Birds flew in the rather large area between the ring and the floating mountain. Some of the Pokémon seemed to struggle with some invisible force that made their path erratic and even threw some of them completely off course.

            “That does not look like fun,” Ash muttered to himself.

            “It’s actually quite invigorating,” a motherly voice behind him caused Ash to turn in surprise.

            “Invigorating?” Ash echoed.

            “It means it fills you with energy and joy,” Aura said flatly from where she sat. She didn’t bother to look at Ash, or even to open her eyes. As if in response to her voice, Pikachu blinked awake, and groggily walked off of Ash, choosing to sit next to his trainer instead.

            “I know what it means,” Ash narrowed his eyes at her, before turning back to Alya. “I meant, _why_ is it…invigorating?”

            “I believe showing you will explain better than words,” the Pidgeot chuckled.

            “What?” Misty reacted before Ash could voice his confusion. “You do realize that, Chosen One or not, Ash is still _human_ , right? He can’t sprout wings and fly.”

            “No,” Alya shook her head. “But, you have Flying Pokémon with you. You could not have found this island any other way, outside of the most random, dumb luck.”

            “Well, Ash is familiar with the benefits of dumb luck,” Misty started with a chuckle.

            “What is that supposed to mean?” Ash interrupted her.

            “I seem to recall quite a lot of battles that you won out of luck, not skill,” she smirked. “Some of them were even gym battles.”

            “That’s not true!” He retorted. “I’m a great battler! I made it to the Top Four in Sinnoh! That took _skill_.”

            “Guys,” Nyx twitched his ears. “I think Sage Alya is trying to explain,” he nodded at the Pidgeot with a smile.

            “Thank you, Nyx,” Alya gave him a warm smile of her own. “First, I’ll start by telling you what the Test will entail. This is very simple. Reach the Shrine.”

            “That’s it?” Ash asked. “I mean, the other Temples had the same…but they had…obstacles.”

            “There’s no way it’s that simple,” Aura agreed, looking up at Alya. “The Normal Temple, sure, but…” her eyes widened in realization. “The Shrine’s not in the ring. It’s in the floating mountain.”

            “Oh…joy,” Ash seemed to get it.

            “Yes, you must fly on the back of one of your Pokémon and find the Shrine in the caves of the floating land,” Alya nodded. “But, as you’ve seen, there are currents of winds and thermals in the crater around the land that make it nearly impossible to navigate for all but the best flyers.”

            “Wind doesn’t work that way,” Aura interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

            “It isn’t a natural phenomenon,” Alya admitted. “It is a form of defense that the Flying Orb created to protect itself from…undesirables.”

            “Wait,” Ash looked at his left hand. The gauntlet reappeared, and the Normal and Fighting Orbs glistened in it. “You’re saying…that the Orbs are…alive?”

            “I wouldn’t say they’re alive, per se,” Alya said softly. “But…they are the physical embodiment and source of the powers of the Elements for all non-Legendaries. Some believe that Arceus gave them the ability to protect themselves. Others think that, over time, that pure, concentrated power…developed a semi-consciousness of their own. Not really alive, but not truly inanimate anymore.”

            Ash shuddered, and the gauntlet disappeared again.   

            “So, if the winds are so dangerous,” Ash tried to keep his voice steady, “how am I supposed to reach the Shrine? I mean, I’ve only been here for a few hours.”

            “That will be made clear to you later,” Alya ruffled her wings. “First, you must decide which of your Flying Pokémon will take you to the Shrine. There is only one way to decide; you must fly on the back of each Pokémon you have that can carry you, and test how well they can navigate in the crater. And, time is short. You must start now.”

            “What?” Misty breathed.

            “We just got here,” Ash added.

            “I agree, and I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, with Mister Chosen One over there,” Aura scoffed. “Shouldn’t he rest before he starts pursuing his eternal death wish?”

            “Surprised you care,” Ash glared at her. “Thought you would like me to save you the trouble.”

            “No one deserves to die by falling from a great height,” Aura grimaced. “Well, almost no one.”

            “You didn’t think that back at the Normal Temple,” Ash pointed out.

            “I saved you, didn’t I?” Aura argued.

            “Why did you?” Ash asked.

            Aura opened her mouth for a moment, but closed it without saying anything.

            “Anyway,” Alya brought them back on topic. “The Elemental Orbs are obviously a source of great power. To hold even one outside of its Shrine is to risk great evils coming after you for it. And you hold two. Now, the Orb of Support is difficult for evil to abuse, simply by its very nature. But, I’m sure you’ve discovered at least an inkling of the great power in the Fighting Orb.”

            Ash nodded.

            “Now, imagine if someone evil got a hold of it, and learned how to exploit its power.”

            Ash thought of Team Rocket, the real Team Rocket, the gang of evil criminals under the command of a very powerful, evil man.

            _Giovanni_ , Aura’s voice echoed in his mind.

            “I understand,” Ash muttered. He stood up. “I guess I’ll get started, then.” He grabbed a Pokéball off of his belt. “Go, Pidgeot.”  

            Pidgeot materialized in a burst of red light. He let out a bird cry, stretching his wings. As Ash explained the situation to the Bird Pokémon, stroking his feathers affectionately, Aura stood up and brushed herself off. Misty and Nyx followed suite, with Pikachu jumping up onto Misty’s shoulder.

            “You don’t want to come with me, buddy?” Ash looked at the Electric Pokémon in surprise.

            “ _I’m not suicidal_ ,” Pikachu shook his head. “ _Have fun throwing yourself off cliffs, anyway. Because that solves all of your problems._ ”

            Aura scoffed.

            “What?” Ash turned and looked at her. “What’s so funny? What’d he say?”

            “No, no…” Aura shook her head. “There are enough parallels here already.”

            “What parallels?” Ash gave her a look.

            “Parallels to what?” Misty added.

            “Never mind,” Aura looked away. “Fly away already.”

            Ash looked at Misty. After a moment, they both shrugged, and Ash climbed into Pidgeot’s back.

            “Be careful,” Misty muttered.

            “Hey, it’s me,” Ash chuckled. “I’m always careful.”

            Aura half-turned back at the words and watched with a shocked expression as Pidgeot took off into the crater. She ran over to the edge of the cave opening, and watched Pidgeot’s shaky flight into the wind currents with wide eyes.

            “You okay, Aura?” Nyx asked, grinning.

            Aura looked at the Shiny Umbreon. Her expression sobered.

            “Fine,” she said flatly.

            _He just more like…more…than I thought._

            “He died…didn’t he?” Misty asked softly.

            “Who?” Aura turned to her.

            Misty started to speak, but recognized the look in Aura’s eyes and hesitated.

            “You know,” Alya’s voice cut off their thoughts. “It’s rather ironic that you arrived on the night of a storm like last night.”

            “Ironic how?” Aura looked at her from the corner of her eye.

            “First, because the storm was not natural,” Alya started. “I have lived here for years, and have become very accustomed to the various storms. Last night’s storm was not just sudden and unexpected. It literally came out of nothing. My fellow birds did not roost before it hit; they were caught off-guard, and many still hide in their caves and nests in fear of the outright evil power they felt from it.”

            “Evil power?” Misty asked.

            Aura turned completely around to look at Alya, almost losing her balance.

            _NO!_

            “I’m not sure where the evil power came from, but it feels as if a new shadow has been summoned to work against the Chosen One,” Alya ruffled her feathers.

            “A Returned?” Nyx asked.

            “What?” Aura took a few steps away from the edge, towards the Umbreon. “I thought your grammar was better than that.”

            “The Returned,” Alya spoke before Nyx could respond, “are the greatest abominations of evil you could ever come across, second only to their master.”

            An image of a tall, long-haired figure flashed in Aura’s mind, followed by the memory of the Houndoom-monster that had played such a large part in nearly killing her years before.

            “You mean, like undead?” Aura asked, fear rising in her tone.

            Misty looked at her.

            _Death has wings_ , the words from the Lucario’s traumatized trance echoed in the teen’s mind.

            “It’s a Flying type,” Misty made the connection. “You could feel it, too. You knew.”

            “What?” Aura just looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

            “Last night, after I saved you from drowning,” Misty clarified, “you went into some sort of trance, and kept saying…weird things. You kept saying we were going to be killed by…something. And a lot of jumbled things about blood. A sea of blood, you said.”

            “A sea of blood?” Aura rubbed her head. “I don’t remember that.” She looked down. “Thank you…though.”

            “For what?” Misty blinked.

            “For not letting me drown,” Aura said softly.

            Misty placed a hand on Aura’s shoulder. The Lucario looked up at her.

            “Don’t thank me,” Misty smiled. “I’ll always help out a friend.”

            _Friend_ , the word echoed in Aura’s mind.

            _I have no friends. I stand on my own._

            _That’s not true,_ a voice countered in her mind. _You almost died on your own. Several times, really. You can be independent, yes, but you can’t fight this war by yourself._

            _What war?_ A darker voice whispered. _You don’t give a damn, remember? You want him dead. He caused your pain. It’s because of him that you still hurt. You could even blame…_

            Aura shook her head, the ache fading.

            _She saved me. She could have died in that storm, no matter how skilled a swimmer she is, no matter how experienced. She risked her all…for me._

            “Friend.”

            “ _Are you crying?_ ” Pikachu raised an eyebrow at Nyx.

            “N-nope!” Nyx grinned through his glimmering eyes. He rubbed his face against his shoulder to get rid of the evidence.

            “Alright,” Aura turned back to Alya. “How else was our arrival ironic to you?”

            “Because I also first arrived here on the wings of a storm.”

            “You weren’t born here?” Misty asked.

            “No, Lucian and I are all that’s left of…of our flock,” Alya admitted. “We came here together, though we landed here quite by accident. I became a rather close friend and mentee to the old Sage, eventually becoming his Aide and successor. Lucian, on the other hand, chose to simply better himself for himself, and became the most agile, dexterous and outright beautiful flyer I’ve ever seen. He could navigate the currents like none other. Then…there was a terrible accident, and he was…hurt.”

            “It never healed,” Aura finished. “And, now he’s blind.”

            “Yes,” Alya nodded. “In some ways, he’s lost some of the…visual appeal of his flight. But, in truth, he’s become better overall, able to feel the wind and breeze and thermals before any other birds.”

            “When one sense is cut off, the others grow stronger,” Aura sounded like she was solving a riddle.

            “Aura?” Misty looked at her.

            “I think I get it, now,” Aura smirked. She turned back towards Misty. “Let’s hope your boyfriend can figure it out, too.”

            “He’s not my…” Misty started instinctively.

            “Whatever,” Aura waved her hands dismissively.

            “The Chosen One has been stated in our legends to be highly intelligent and perceptive, capable of great strategy,” Alya said. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out just as easily as you have, young Aura.”

            Aura and Misty looked at each other and burst out into laughter.

            “The legends really do say that,” Nyx defended the Sage. “It’s part of the Mark that he bears, what signifies him as the Chosen.”

            “Nyx,” Aura gave the Umbreon a pat on the head. “You’ve been following Ash just as long as I have. Try and tell me he’s some legendary genius, I dare you.”

            Nyx opened his mouth defiantly, then thought better of it.

            “Alright,” he chuckled. “So he’s no genius. But he’s not stupid.”

            _No,_ Aura thought bitterly to herself. _Just uninformed. I can’t decide what will destroy him more, knowing or not._

            She looked back to the crater, and watched the distant shape of Pidgeot as he struggled to steady himself in the nearly visible, powerful gusts.

            _Come on! You know you can’t trust him!_ Aura shook her head. _I…can’t. Misty…Misty, I can trust, I think. Maybe. But, Ash…._

            _He’s not evil_ , a quiet voice whispered.

            _He can’t escape it,_ Aura sighed. _He can’t fight his fate, his Curse. None have._

            Suddenly, Pidgeot, having returned to an area just below them, flew straight upward. The burst of wind created from his flight being so close to the cavern nearly knocked Aura over onto her tail.

            “Holy shit,” she breathed.

            “He can certainly hold on,” Misty watched in mild amazement. “Most people would have fallen off by now. Then again, we’re talking about the guy who flew on the back of a…spirited Charizard.”

            “Charizard?” Aura glanced over at Misty. “Really?”

            “Yeah,” she smiled. “It might have been a good idea for him to have brought Charizard, after all, now.”

            Aura looked up at the sky where Pidgeot had steadied his flight path and was now flying in elegant patterns.

            _One day…_ Aura’s past voice echoed in her memory. _One day, we will leave this place. Then, we’ll both be free. We’ll be as free as the clouds in the sky. We’ll fly out of this hellhole…_

_Together…_

 

…

 

Silver glanced over his shoulder as he walked slowly down the hall.

            He quickly looked forward again, and increased his speed slightly.

            _They’re still following me._

            He tugged on his new jacket. He had gone back to his room after the…incident in Giovanni’s office, and changed into his new attire. And, when he had emerged, _those_ three had been right outside with Mondo.

            _And now all four of them are following me around like lost Poocheynas. Wonderful._

            His new shoes squeaked softly on the recently waxed floor.

            _I bet my father sent them to “await orders” or something stupid like that._

            Silver sighed.

            _Well, I_ am _an Elite, now._

            He looked back over his shoulder again. He made eye contact with Jessie, then James, then Meowth, then Jessie again, before facing forward.

            _Should I tell her? No, that’d probably freak her out. I’m not even supposed to know. Everything here is so screwed up._

            Silver grimaced.

            _Damn hallways are way too freaking long._

            Silver looked back just in time to see Meowth use James as a ladder and launch pad to jump up and onto his shoulder.

            Mondo reached out in vain, mouth open as he tried to stammer out a warning.

            “So, kid, er…” Meowth grinned at the scowling Silver. “I mean, ‘lil Boss…. Whadaya tink we should do while we wait for da boss to give ya yer mission?”

            “Take a speech class,” Silver muttered under his breath.

            “Whadya say?”

            “Get. The. Hell. Off!” Silver barked at the cat Pokémon.

            “Geez, ya don’ have ta be so rude!” Meowth sounded offended as he leapt off of the teen’s shoulder and started to walk beside him.

            “Sir?” Mondo approached Silver’s other side. “Should I…talk to them? Tell them to back off?”

            “I am perfectly capable of doing that myself,” Silver’s offended tone continued. “They’re fine, as long as they stay out of my face.” He looked down slightly. “And don’t call me sir.”

            “What?”

            “I owe you too much,” Silver muttered. “You might not be my friend, per se, but I don’t think I could ever get used to hearing you call me sir.”

            “Yes, Silver,” Mondo nodded with a knowing smile.

            “You three, on the other hand,” Silver looked at Jessie, James, and Meowth. “Well….” He trailed off before scoffing. “Anyway, I suppose I do have an order for you. My father has already ordered you to abandon all previous objectives. What was your previous objective?”

            “To steal a really powerful Pikachu from his twerpish trainer and bring it back to the Boss,” Jessie said as if it were the most obvious statement in the world.

            _Could it be…?_

            “Twerp?” Silver repeated. “Does this…twerp have a name?”

            “Wait,” Mondo gaped at them. “You’ve been following that Ketchum kid _all these years_?”

            _Project Megavolt_ , Silver stopped, his hands clenched in tight, shaking fists. _I should have_ known. _That bastard! Project Megavolt was supposed to be my starter!_

            _Then, those fools liberated it._

            _Though,_ Silver’s rage calmed somewhat. _I do admire their efforts to bring down Team Rocket. If only they’d actually succeeded, things might have turned out better…for everyone._

            _And, now I’m in the Team, and in it deep. What have I done to myself?_

            “Lil Boss?” Meowth stopped just in front of Silver.

            “You are not to engage,” Silver said in a firm tone. “You are not to engage in any form of conflict, physical or verbal, with anyone, whether they are allies or enemies, without my direct permission or order. Unless your lives are in immediate danger.”

            “I don’t like this kid ordering us around,” Jessie muttered to James.

            “You heard the boss,” James said in a hurried, nervous voice. “The kid’s an Elite, and his orders are the Boss’s orders.”

            “This kid’s no older than the twerp,” Jessie hit James on the back of the head. “Would you follow his orders so easily?”

            “If the twerp was the Boss’s kid and just made an Elite, then…” James started.

            “I said,” Silver interrupted, “do _not ENGAGE!_ ”

            “Uh…” Mondo stammered.

            “Listen here, kid,” Jessie turned to glare at Silver. She faltered when her eyes locked with his. Silver’s eyes burned, not with hate or rage, but something…more. There was a darkness there, and it awoke a fear Jessie never thought was possible.

            “He’s just a kid…” she muttered to herself. “He shouldn’t have…eyes…”

            “Do you understand?” Silver said in a low voice.

            Jessie hesitated, glancing at James. He nodded once.

            “I understand,” she finally said grudgingly.

            “Silver?” Mondo gave the teen a concerned look.

            “I am not a tyrant,” Silver’s voice calmed down. “But, I am your commanding officer. I don’t care if I’m an Elite or not. I don’t give a damn that I’m Giovanni’s son. But, I am your commanding officer, and I _will_ take that seriously.”

            “Hey, look who it is!” A deep, scratchy voice cut Silver’s off. He turned around to see who it was.

            Two Agents, a man with short, green hair and a woman with long, blonde hair, were approaching them.

            “If it isn’t the loser duo, Jessie and James!” The blonde smirked.

            “Cassidy!” Jessie growled.

            “And Biff!” James scowled.

            “Butch!” The man corrected. “Why is that _so hard to remember?_ ”

            _It really is,_ Mondo suppressed a smile. _I’m awesome with details, and yet…_

            “What have you bumbling fools been messing up since the last time we had the displeasure of crossing paths?” Cassidy sneered.

            “Actually,” Mondo spoke up quickly. “They just came back from a successful mission, and were rewarded by being assigned to our new Elite over here for a forthcoming, top secret operation.”

            “What are you supposed to be, their babysitter?” Butch seemed to ignore what Mondo had said.

            “About time they got one,” Cassidy scoffed.

            Silver glared at them, but remained silent.

            “Uh, guys…” Meowth started playing with his tail nervously.

            “Actually,” Mondo raised a hand. “I’m not in charge of them. Elite Silver here, however, is.” He narrowed his eyes. “Elite _Silver Zolton_. The _son_ of _Giovanni_ , and the _heir_ to the _position as Boss of Team Rocket_.”

            “Whatever,” Cassidy curled her lip in disgust at Silver. “A punk is a punk, no matter whose kid it is.”

            “And you losers will be pathetic, no matter how lucky you might get from time to time,” Butch added, approaching James.

            “Why, I oughta…” Meowth muttered under his breath. He looked at Silver, who returned the gaze, the dark look still clear in his eyes. Meowth grimaced, but said nothing further.

            Butch grabbed James by the front of his shirt.

            “Look,” he smirked. “They’re not even making feeble attempts at comebacks anymore. It’s as if they finally know their place.”

            James frowned, but remained silent. He looked over at Silver, who glanced back at him, before glaring at Butch.

            “My order still stands,” Silver said flatly.

            “Aw, lookie at the little Gio Junior here, trying to be just like his daddy,” Cassidy pinched his cheek in mock affection.

            “Don’t. Touch. Me.” Silver snarled. “I am _nothing_ like my _bastard_ of a father.”

            “You’ve certainly managed to teach these freaks _something_ ,” Butch said. “Look, they won’t even _argue_ back at us, let alone _fight_ us.”

            “Are you saying you want to participate in infighting with my Agents?” Silver walked up to Butch.

            “Who talks like that?” Cassidy raised an eyebrow.

            “So what if I am?” Butch glared at Silver, before returning his focus to James. “C’mon. Fight back. Just a little. I’ll even give you one hit, on the house. Go on.”

            WHACK!

            James fell to the floor as Butch was flung sideways, letting go of his shirt in the process. Jessie and Meowth were staring at Silver.

            “You little punk!” Butch rubbed the side of his face. “You punched me!”

            “No shit,” Silver said flatly. “Want to discuss anything else obvious?”

            Cassidy backed off a few paces.

            “There is a very simple reason they were not engaging,” Silver said calmly. “Maybe if you used a brain cell once in a while, you’d have thought to ask _their commanding officer_ why.” Silver walked up to Butch and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling the Agent in close to his face. "They are complying with my direct orders. And you were trying to get them to intentionally disobey me. Me, their CO, an Elite, and the _son_ and _heir_ of the Boss, as you’re so eager to point out. Forgive me if I'm wrong-which I'm _not_ -but that's considered mutiny. In front of his commanding officer, an Elite _and_ the future Boss, no less.” A dark rage burned in Silver’s eyes. “Now, remind me, _bitch_. What's the punishment for mutiny?”

            “Silver,” Mondo breathed. “Don’t.”

            _Why is this happening again, already…?_

            Could it be…?

            _No…please, no…._

            “You wouldn’t _dare_ ,” Butch scowled. “You’re just the Boss’s pathetic excuse for a son. You don’t have the balls to carry out that kind of sentence yourself.”

            _Pathetic?_ A dark voice echoed in Silver’s mind. _This sad, little insect of a man has the gall to call_ you _pathetic? He’s a coward and a fool, and will only impede on your path to what you deserve to be. Best to be rid of him once and for all. After all, it is Rocket law…._

            Sight red with rage, Silver let go of his shirt, only to grasp Butch’s throat in both hands.

            “Try me,” Silver snarled, as he began squeezing his throat. 

            Butch made a strange, throaty sound, as he desperately fought Silver’s grip for air.

            “Silver!” Mondo yelled. “Don’t do this!” He reached out and touched Silver’s shoulder. “Please…don’t…do this. You’re not a murderer.”

            _Murderer…_. The last word echoed in Silver’s mind. It was as if the word slapped him awake. Silver let go of Butch, who fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, gasping gratefully for air.

            Silver looked at his hands for a moment, a look of horror on his face. Then, he glared at Butch once more.

            “I don’t think your argument has merit,” he said darkly. “Remember this. Do not cross me again. I’m no weakling. And, I’m not afraid to show it.”

            Silver turned and continued down the hall. After exchanging a series of glances, Mondo, Jessie, James, and Meowth all followed after him.

            “Hey, kid, er…sir,” Jessie corrected herself. “That was…”

            “Follow my orders,” Silver interrupted her, “and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Anyone who bothers my Agents will answer to me. As your commanding officer, I’m responsible for looking out for you. But,” he added darkly, “disobey me, or show weakness, and I’ll feel no remorse in leaving you behind. I have enough burdens to bear without carrying deadweight…”

            Silver turned, opened a door, and locked himself in a room where the others couldn’t follow.

            “Do ya tink we should tell ‘im?” Meowth looked back and forth between Jessie and James.

            “After that?” James sounded scared.

            “…Maybe not,” Jessie gave the door a funny look. “This isn’t the scared, defenseless kid that was nearly killed before. There’s something outright…dark and vicious about him. I understand being a Rocket has some…criminal traits, but this…. I don’t know who–or what–he is now.”

            “I tink I miss da twerps…” Meowth twitched.

            “Yeah,” James nodded. He looked at Mondo. “Er, you see….”

            “I don’t want to know,” Mondo shook his head. “I have enough secrets to hide.”

            He stared at the door, and felt as if he had failed once again.

            _From one set of chains into another. Please, Silver…find the pure strength of your heart… find the key to your real freedom within yourself, now…._

 

…

 

Ash gripped onto what feathers he could grasp for dear life.

            _Pidgeot could manage, somewhat,_ He ran through the checklist in his mind. _Swellow did…okay, though it made me rather nervous._

            A burst of wind from an intersecting current caught Staraptor off guard, and they jolted to the side, both of them crying out. Ash felt his grip slipping.

            _Staraptor does not handle the sudden winds here very well,_ he noted. He swung his arms around Staraptor’s neck in a desperate attempt to stay on the Bird Pokémon’s back.

            _I’m not even gonna try to ride on Noctowl_ , he decided. _He’s way too small. Makes him special, I guess, but here that’s…_

            “Naghn!” Ash groaned as Staraptor got thrown around in another burst of wind. The Flying Pokémon overadjusted, and Ash lost his grip entirely. He overbalanced, and slipped over Staraptor’s side and down through the air.

            Staraptor shrieked.

            All Ash could think as he fell was: _Oh, great; not again._

            He heard the cries of several Birds, and a sharp, upward pull on his arms. He looked up to see Staraptor, Swellow, and Noctowl all gripping his arms and fighting gravity to keep him from falling any further.

            “Thanks guys!” Ash grinned.

            Their grip couldn’t last forever, however, and he eventually slipped through and fell again. He only fell a few feet before he stopped suddenly, with a mild jolt of pain, and felt himself being lurched forward again. He swung himself forward awkwardly, and found feathers to grasp.

            “Pidgeot?” Ash asked weakly.

            “Gggeeeo!” The Flying Pokémon chirred happily.

            “Your timing…is awe-awesome,” Ash groaned. “Thanks.”

            “Pidgeooot!” Pidgeot carried Ash through the rough winds, back to the cavern where Alya and the others were. As they landed, Misty and Alya approached them.

            “Geez, Ash!” Misty look frustrated. “How many times are you going to tempt death today?”

            “None,” Ash slumped off of Pidgeot’s back, leaning against the Bird Pokémon for support. “I’m…I…I’d…I’ve…” He stammered. _That still hurts._ “I’ve made my decision.”

            Staraptor, Swellow, and Noctowl arrived in the cavern together, and landed not far from the others. They chirred and chirped, but said nothing of interest. Ash recalled them, hiding his pain.

            “You have?” Alya asked brightly.

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded. “I think that Pidgeot’s the best choice. He’s the only one that can fly in the winds at all, though he has no idea where he’s supposed to go. And, neither do I.”

            “At least you picked a Pokémon that can carry your weight,” Misty sighed. “It’d be suicide to try to reach the Shrine on the others. I’m not sure why you didn’t just pick Pidgeot from the start. He’s the oldest, and the most experienced flyer you have.”

            “Well, forgive me for trying to be smart and try everything,” Ash frowned. “Wait. Did you just call me fat?”

            “I agree with Misty,” Aura said quietly. “Pidgeot is a good choice. A safe choice.”

            “Are you showing concern for Ash’s safety?” Misty smiled.

            “No,” Aura scoffed. “If he picked any other, I’d be concerned for the world, as it would be counting on a Chosen One with the intelligence of a Pecha Berry.”

            “I’ll take that as _not_ calling me stupid,” Ash decided not to fight. “Anyway,” he turned to the Sage, “I’ve made my choice.”

            “Good, good! Then, you are ready for the next part of preparation for the Test.”

            “What?” Ash asked.

            “Come with me,” the female Pidgeot shuffled further into the cavern and down a tunnel.

            “I told you he’d pick Pidgeot,” Aura muttered to Nyx as the group followed the Flying Sage.

            “I just said that I thought Staraptor would have been a strong choice,” Nyx defended himself. “I didn’t know he’d have a hard time in the winds.”

            A strange Flying Pokémon Aura had never seen before caught her eye in the poorly-lit tunnel. It was gone before she could get a better look.

            “What was that?” She asked.

            “Some of the Pokémon here have flown from far-away places, just to train and live here,” Alya explained simply. “Now,” she continued as they reached another cavern with an opening out into the crater. “You will rest here until dusk, and consider and decide.”

            “Consider? Decide?” Ash repeated. “About what?”

            “At dusk, you will take off on your Pidgeot’s back and attempt to reach the Shrine, deep in the floating mountain. But, you will not be alone.”

            “What?”

            “Stop interrupting,” Aura narrowed her eyes at him.

            “Sorry,” Ash muttered.

            “You will have a guide,” Alya went on, ignoring their little spat. “You will choose a Flying Pokémon from the Temple to guide you and Pidgeot carefully through the winds and in the right combination of tunnels and caves until you reach the Shrine.”

            “What are my choices?”

            “Any Pokémon living here, other than myself and Zeru, may be chosen to serve as your guide.”

            Aura narrowed her eyes, before smirking.

            _The real Test has nothing to do with the Shrine,_ Aura chuckled to herself. _Not really. The_ real _Test is in making the right choice._

            “Here are some potentially good choices for you to start with,” Alya raised a wing, then let out a screech-like cry.

            A Fearow, Crobat, Natu, Skarmory, Altaria, and Chatot all flew into the cavern from various directions.

            “ _We come, honored for the chance to serve the mighty Chosen One_ ,” They all bowed in unison.

            “Pikapi,” Pikachu whispered to his trainer. “ _This is_ not _going to be easy_.”

            Ash said nothing. He simply looked back and forth between the Birds. He tried desperately to hide his flustered confusion, but Aura saw right through it.

            _And, he’s right to be. How could be possibly know who to choose? He’s been here such a short time, after all. He hasn’t really had time to figure it out. Not yet._

_Dear lord, Ash Ketchum, please figure it out._

_Who is the right guide?_

 

…

 

Gary suppressed a sneeze as another cloud of dust exploded from the desk drawer.

            “Geez,” he sighed. “As if I need another reminder of how long it’s been since I’ve been here.”

            The study had been left practically untouched for about decade, and the layer of dust on everything gave it an abandoned air. His father used to work in here constantly.

            Then, the accident….

            Gary shook his head.

            Best not to dwell on that.

            _I’m not here to open old wounds,_ he reminded himself. _I’m here looking for answers. Surely Dad knew_ something. _He and Mr. Ketchum were…sort of friends when they were not much older than me._

            He reached in the drawer and pulled out a large pile of papers. He coughed on yet another dust cloud.

            _Maybe I’ll clean this place up. Use it as a sort of private base of operations, while I try to make sense of this whole mess._

_Ash’s life could be at stake, here. I’m not thrilled at the notion of going so far out of my way to help him, but…I guess we’re…we’re not enemies or even really much of rivals anymore._

_He deserves to know the truth,_ Gary exhaled deeply. _Whether he is really in any danger. Let alone whatever insanity he’s actually up to out there._

_What_ is _he up to out there?_

            Gary brushed off the pile of papers. A particularly worn letter on top caught his attention. The handwriting was crude and appeared rushed, and about half the words had worn completely away. Whatever this letter was, it had been important to his father. He read what could still be considered even slightly legible out loud.

            “Our plans…Mega…almost ready…boy…doing well…perfect companion…him. Perhaps…should not…involved. Losing…greatest loss…bear…losing grip…leader’s heart. I fear…already…Corrupted. I will…best…slow…poison’s spread. I…remain…contact with…mission…available soon. Send…my love. Agent Deathblade.”

             Gary collapsed backwards into his father’s old desk chair with a soft whumf!

            _What the hell does this mean?_ He rubbed his forehead. _Who’s their leader? Who’s Deathblade? Corrupted?_

            _Deathblade could be a code, or it could be a gang name._ He tried to theorize.

            _What were you doing, Dad?_ Gary picked up a picture frame and brushed the dust off, revealing the faces of his parents on their wedding day. _Who was your leader? What was your mission? Who was this Deathblade sending his love to? What type of love?_

            _I started searching through here to find answers_ , Gary scowled. _All I’m finding is more questions._

            _There’s no one I can ask for the whole truth anymore,_ he sighed. _Mrs. Ketchum isn’t telling anything more than she already has. Grandpa’s not going to betray her trust, nor would I really want him to. I know he has a lot to do with them coping when…without Ash’s father._

            Gary stood up and walked over towards one of the bookshelves. He picked up another dusty picture frame and dusted it off with his sleeve.

            A young and very much alive Gyles Ketchum smiled up at him. There was a sadness in his eyes, but Gary could tell that he was very happy, too. His arms were gently wrapped around a younger and heavily pregnant Delia.

            _This could very well be the last picture we have of Gyles_ , Gary realized.

            Gyles really did look a lot like an older version of Ash. Though, there was a certain… toughness to Gyles that Ash just didn’t have. Ash had gotten the softer, gentler face and eye shape of his mother. Gyles’s black hair was just as scruffy and messy-looking as Ash’s now was, but Gyles’s hair had been longer, and it had been tied back in a loose ponytail. Gyles’s chin was speckled with the slightest stubble, and he had a stronger jaw line, narrower eyes, and a bigger nose.

            Gary smiled.

            _I wonder if Ash would want this,_ Gary mused. _I don’t know if he’s ever even seen a proper picture of his father. He never really seemed to care about the man’s absence in his life._

            _Unlike I have with mine._

            Gary let out an aggravated sigh.

            “All I can find is more mysteries and painful memories,” he slammed a fist against the nearby wall. “I’m so sick of the obscure scraps, the incomplete histories, and I’m sick of the _lies!_ ”

            “Gary?” Sasha’s head peeked in through the doorway. “What are you doing in here?”

            “Asking Dad some questions,” Gary didn’t make eye contact with his sister.

            “Find anything?”

            “More questions.”

            “Sorry, Gary. I miss them, too.”

            Gary said nothing, staring at the picture, staring straight into Gyles’s dark blue eyes.

            “Well, Mrs. K and I are off to work on our…project.”

            “Hmm?” Gary looked up at her. “Okay.”

            “Don’t wait up for me, okay? We’ll take care of our own dinner.”

            “Whatever.”

            As soon as she left, Gary continued staring right at the picture of Gyles and Delia.

            _I will find the truth. The whole truth. The real truth._

_I’ll do it for you, Dad, and you too, Gyles._

_I’ll do it for Ash._

_It’s time we stopped living this lie._

 

…

 

Ash sat cross-legged in front of the semi-circle of Birds, looking back and forth from the ground in front of him to each Bird. His eyebrows were furrowed. He sighed.

            Lucian was flying in circles and figure-eights of various sizes, most of them around either Ash or Aura’s head. Sometimes, he would flip backwards or perform some other trick more complicated than simple circle.

            As Lucian flew yet another circle around Ash’s head, the teen waved his hand at the small Bird Pokémon, which reacted almost immediately and adjusted his path with near perfection.

            Aura smiled from where she stood, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the cavern. She looked over to Ash.

            “It’s nearly twilight,” she said with a smirk.

            “Dusk,” Nyx said.

            “What?” Aura turned to where the Shiny Umbreon stood next to her.

            “Alya said the Test would start at dusk, not twilight,” he grinned.

            “Same thing,” Aura shrugged. “Twilight’s just more…vague and…all right, it’s not as interesting-sounding.”

            “Dusk sounds better,” Nyx nodded.

            “Guys!” Ash snapped, glaring at them. “I’m trying to think here.”

            “Maybe you should try a little harder. A thought might actually form in your head for once.”

            “Shut up, Aura,” Ash muttered.

            Aura smirked, but said nothing further.

            “And, will you stop that?” Ash tried in vain to shoo Lucian away again.

            “Why?” Lucian asked, before flying in several loops and flips before landing elegantly next to the Chatot. The Chatot glared at him. Lucian continued. “I happen to enjoy flying, and just because I can’t see exactly how it looks, doesn’t mean that I can’t turn my flights into sensitive works of art.”

            Ash stared at Lucian, his eyes narrowing, mouth slightly open.

            _Come on, Ashura_ , Aura thought. _You can’t be this slow._

            Pikachu looked at Ash, then Lucian, then Ash again.

            “Pikapi?”

            “Hmm?” Ash looked over at him. “Hey, buddy.”

            “Chosen One,” Alya walked in with Misty. “I trust you’re well rested and fed.”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded.

            “Thanks for the meal, by the way,” Misty added. “I didn’t know that Berries like those grew here.”

            “It’s a Bird thing,” Alya chuckled. “In any case, Ash, I’m afraid it’s time.”

            Ash stood and faced the Sage.

            “Time?”

            “To face the Test. You must now fly to the Shrine. Or, attempt to, in any case. I have faith you will succeed, though. Have you chosen your guide?”

            “Uh,” Ash turned back to the other Birds. His gaze stopped on Lucian, but his mind froze.

            “Pika,” Pikachu brushed his tail against Ash’s leg, giving him–and his mind–a brief jolt.

            “I choose Lucian,” Ash said suddenly, turning sharply towards Alya.

            “ _WHAT?_ ” Misty’s voice reached an octave Ash had never heard come from her before. “Ash, he’s _blind!_ ” There was a momentary silence. “I mean, no offense, Lucian, I have nothing against you.”

            “It’s quite alright,” Lucian nodded. “I’m more than used to it.”

            “Still, Ash,” Misty continued. “He’s _blind_. What if an obstacle gets in his way and…knocks him out? You would be without any guide, and you could be sent through a current into a cliff or down into the lake at the bottom of the crater!”

            “I will not be knocked out or let any old obstacle get in my way,” Lucian jumped up and flew over towards Misty, guessing her location rather accurately.

            “I like this,” Nyx defended Ash. “It’s poetic and unusual. That’s what the Chosen One must be. I mean, he passed the past two Tests because of something he didn’t expect. He’ll pass this one with something no one expected.”

            “It’s more than that,” Aura said softly. Everyone turned to look at her. “What? Lucian may be blind, but that just heightens his other senses, right? Including that of touch? Which simply means that he’s more sensitive to the flow and minute changes of the wind than the others. He can feel the very currents and where they’re going at any moment. It makes him the perfect choice.”

            “Are you…agreeing with me?” Ash smiled.

            “Don’t get used to it.”

            “She’s right,” Alya smiled warmly. “Lucian is amongst the best fliers here, if not the best, period. His blindness does not cripple him. In fact, it sets him free. Because he has chosen to make it so. You have shown the beginnings of great wisdom, Nyx, much like that of your blood. And, you Aura…it is even clearer to me now why Hikari wanted you to serve the Chosen One.”

            “I am deeply honored to have been chosen as your guide, Chosen One,” Lucian flew over to Ash. “Whenever you are ready…”

            “S-sure,” Ash stammered. “Pidgeot!”

            The Bird Pokémon woke from where it dozed in the corner. With a happy chirr, he flew over to his trainer, and allowed him to climb onto his back.

            “There’s something…poetic about this,” Lucian chuckled. “The least-noticed Pokémon in the Temple is guiding the Chosen One who came out of obscurity. I have a feeling the legends will make us to be more special than we are.”

            “What?”

            “Let’s go!” Lucian flew towards the mouth of the cavern. “Stay close behind me!”

            Pidgeot chirred in response.

            “Brace yourself!” Lucian yelled back.

            Ash complied just in time, before Lucian took off into the winds of the crater, Pidgeot following right behind him.

            Almost immediately, Ash’s ears were filled with the persistent roar of the winds as they ripped past him. He stomach went numb from the sudden drop, as Pidgeot followed Lucian into a down draft. He clenched onto Pidgeot’s neck feathers, frantically keeping himself from falling forward and down off of the Flying Pokémon. After a few moments, Lucian and Pidgeot evened off. The wind had brought them so close to the water, that Pidgeot’s talons brushed the surface, leaving a misty trail behind them.

            Ash’s heart skipped a beat as they suddenly lurched upward, the wind pressing against the skin on his face and ruffling his hair wildly.

            _Glad I don’t wear my hat anymore._ He thought with a small smile. _It’d be_ gone.

            Ash felt an electric thrill as Lucian–and Pidgeot–banked right slightly and dipped down into a tunnel in the floating mountain. The sound of wind grew, developing a sort of beat as they tore past other tunnels and openings, the faint light of the fading evening the only source of illumination. Lucian altered his flight path to the left slightly, and they were lifted up through an opening and back out into the crater. They flew seemingly straight at a cliff wall, when Lucian and Pidgeot tilted their bodies to the right a slight amount, and found themselves in a strong current pushing them down and  away from the wall. Before Ash’s lungs could recover from the sudden dropping motion, the current jerked them upward, and they flew in a sharp arc to the sky.

            As they surpassed the peak of the floating mountain and started to level off, the current slowed, and Ash got to get a glimpse of something besides cliffs and caves. The top area of the ring and much of the floating mountain from that level upward were both covered in groves of trees stubbornly growing in the irregular and rocky terrain. Their green leaves were like the surface of a dark sea in the early night air, the winds blowing them into waves. The actual sea spread from the edge of the beach outside the ring, the real waves rolling gently and reflecting the soft light from the emerging stars and the sharp light of the moon. Ash looked up at the stars, and felt a strange swelling in his chest, the taste of the crisp, clean night air light and refreshing in his open mouth.

            Ash had little time to take the sights in, as Lucian and Pidgeot soon arced back down and dropped back into the crater towards the lake. Their wings were clamped against their sides, and their speed increased dramatically.

            _Dear…God…_ Ash felt stunned. The sound of the wind again overwhelmed his senses, and he felt another surge of a familiar, yet unnamable, feeling, as the birds flung their wings open and they banked right again. The drop became less steep, but continued, until it evened off a few feet above the surface of the lake, and they flew under the floating mountain. Ash tightened his grip on Pidgeot when he saw Lucian suddenly shoot straight upward, and his insides felt as if they were somersaulting as Pidgeot followed the Pidgey.

            Ash’s world became pitch dark as they flew up into a tunnel. He felt himself being jerked left and right, but couldn’t even see the back of Pidgeot’s head.

            _I hope that Pidgeot can see in here,_ Ash managed to string a complete thought together. _Or hear Lucian, or sense him or some…something…dear…lord…._

            A sudden burst of light enveloped them, as they came straight out of the top of the mountain, the moon right above them. Lucian made a sharp arc and dropped again, and they followed him into a tunnel right nearby the one they had just left. This one had thin lines of light from time to time, some light blue from the moon outside, others a soft orange, as if from torch fire. Ash felt his head swirl in the irregularity of the lighting and the beating sound of the wind around them and from the other tunnels. Ash felt himself being jerked left and right a few times, some rather sharp and he had to grip Pidgeot so tightly, the bird squawked in pain.

            _StoptheworldIwannagetoff!_ Ash prayed in a single, hurried word. His internal organs felt as if they were turning into mush, and Ash could taste the Pecha Berries he’d had at dinner, though more bitter.

            The orange light became much more predominate, and his senses began to steady somewhat, although he was still being wrenched back and forth as Lucian led Pidgeot through a labyrinth of tunnels and sharp turns and sudden drops and rises. Ash clenched his eyes shut. Then, with one last jolt straight upward….

            Everything stopped.

            Ash opened his eyes. They were in a room well-lit in the warm glow of large torches. Pidgeot and Lucian were hovering above an opening, where the angry roar of the winds could still be heard. But, the wind no longer drowned out all other sounds.

            “We’re here?” Ash didn’t think he’d relish being able to hear his own voice so much.

            “Unless there’s some other room that radiates with the pure power of the Flying Element,” Lucian chuckled as he and Pidgeot landed near the opening in the ground.

            Ash carefully dismounted, and stumbled a bit as he recovered feeling in his legs and learned to stand again. He steadied his breathing and looked around.

            The Shrine looked very much like the ones at the Normal and Fighting Temple. The walls were just as smooth, almost polished-looking, and were covered in the carvings of strange images and runes. In the center, was another silver statue of a cross-legged Riolu, just like before. The Orb it held was a light, sky blue color, and just as opaque, yet clear, as the others had been. The Orb Statue was surrounded by statues of several Flying Pokémon in various metals: Pidgeotto, Spearow, Noctowl, Xatu, Skarmory, Wingull, Altaria, Starly, Chatot, and some Ash had never seen before.

            In one corner was another strange statue, like in the other Temples. Made of bronze, it depicted a Riolu standing in front of a human child, the latter curled up on the floor as if he had been thrown down by an enemy. The Riolu stood in a clear, powerful fighting stance, the determination clear in the details of his face. A Dratini was draped loosely around his neck, forever yelling out in rage at whatever the Riolu was facing.

            _What…what do these statues…_ mean? Ash’s mind still buzzed slightly from the adrenaline. He approached the Orb Statue, and looked into the Orb’s blue coloring. _Guess I should get this over with._

            He inhaled deeply, before grabbing the Orb with both hand.

            _Holy Ho-oh! What have I done to myself?_ Ash scolded himself as he felt the first blasts of the massive pain that ripped through his body. He clenched his eyes shut, and tried to ignore it, but the waves of agony kept coming, they kept soaring above every other thought or sensation. It was as if nothing else existed, just a sea of torture. Just as he thought he’d had enough and was going to die, the waves subsided, and the pain lessened, almost vanishing entirely. Ash tried to open his eyes, but found that he couldn’t.

            Yet, he could still see. It was as if his mind had entered some alternate reality, and he could see without eyes. He was floating, he felt his arms stretch out and away from him. He glanced over…

            They weren’t his arms.

            He had wings.

            _What._

            Ash looked forward again, trying to not think about it.

            He stopped breathing for a split second. He was flying–somehow–over a field of grain, the golden crop illuminated by the orange light of a sunrise. He felt his wings–his _wings_ –beat furiously to stay aloft, but the warmth of the morning sun on his face made the extra work trivial. He glanced down at the grain, which flowed in the gentle morning breeze, like a sea of gold.

            _Birds have it so great!_ Ash thought. _I could die happy now._

            As if to spite him, the image quickly faded and morphed into the dull grey of an imposing ravine. His arms– _wings_ –snapped against his side on their own, and he felt himself plummet to the ground.

            _God, no!_ Ash tried to will his wings open, to escape the illusion, anything. Just before the dark ground made an acquaintance with his face, he felt himself being flung sideways. The world swirled around him again, and he felt his wings unfurl awkwardly.

            When his sight steadied enough to take in his surroundings, he noticed that he was in a forest…a burning forest. Everything was bathed in a red light, and there were the sounds and shapes of various Pokémon desperately scrambling to escape the inferno. He looked in the general direction from which they were fleeing. He immediately wished he hadn’t.

            A large, humanoid figure dressed in heavy-looking, metal armor was slowly lumbering over to him. Ash wanted to flee, to fly away, to escape the horror and pretend he’d never seen it, but he felt…trapped. He was in some sort of trance. All he could do was beat his wings wildly, hovering in one spot, while the forest collapsed around him under the might of the blaze. The figure raised his hand, showing the large battleaxe it wielded. Ash did nothing as the blade swung at him.

            Just as it seemed to make contact, his world went black and he was engulfed in another sea of anguish.

            _Chosen One,_ the powerful voice from before echoed in his mind. _Ashura…. You who bears my Mark…. Rise…fly…._

            “Grrraaaaagh!” Ash forced his eyes open, and pulled up on the Flying Orb with all his might. After a moment of ineffectiveness, the Orb popped right out of the Shrine. The pain instantly died, and left Ash feeling drained. He stumbled backwards a few paces, and wobbled back and forth. “I…I…” he stammered. “I did…did it.” He held the Orb in his right hand, and looked at his left.

            The gauntlet materialized, and the Orb shrunk to the size of an inactive Pokéball. Ash placed the Orb in the spot next to the Orb of Struggle.

            _The Orb of Sky…_ the powerful voice whispered in his head, before fading away again.

            Ash fell forward, collapsing onto the silver Riolu statue. Everything in his world went black.

            “Geeeot!” Pidgeot nudged his trainer in concern. “Pidgeot!”

            “He’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Lucian assured him.

            “ _Pidgeot?_ ”

            “No, he doesn’t _look_ fine to me!” Lucian snapped. “How would _I_ know? Why would I _care_ what _any_ thing _looks_ like?”

            “Guys?” Ash came to quickly. “Can you not squawk and argue so loudly?”

            “What did I say?” Lucian smiled. “You alright, Chosen One?”

            “Ash,” he corrected, standing and rubbing his forehead. “And yeah. Other than a headache, I’m fine.” He looked at Pidgeot. “I guess we should get back, eh, buddy?”

            “Should be easier to navigate, now,” Lucian said. “Without the Flying Orb to power the winds, the currents will all but vanish entirely. The air will be natural in the crater again.”

            “Good,” Ash chuckled. “I’d rather not see my dinner again.” He climbed onto Pidgeot’s back.

            “Shall we?” Lucian lifted himself off the ground with a few sharp flaps.

            “Sure,” Ash shrugged.

            Lucian dove back into the opening, back into the mountain’s tunnels, with Pidgeot close behind.

 

…

 

Aura grimaced.

            “Now,” Alya raised a wing in defense. “I meant no offense. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

            “I just don’t like being reminded of the night I was brought to Hikari’s Keep,” Aura muttered. “I don’t like remembering the Sages voting on _what_ to _do with me_.”

            “You were technically in the shared territory of _two_ Sages,” Alya said. “It’s natural that they didn’t want someone that could have been potentially…”

            “Insane?” Aura snarled.

            “Remember, I was among those who voted to leave you alone, to let you live in peace,” Alya said softly. “I know what it’s like to be forced out of your home, force to take what shattered remains of your past you have left, and start over in a strange place.”

            Aura sighed, but said nothing.

            “Hikari just sent a messenger, actually,” Alya continued. “Spoke to him just before I sent Ash on his Test. She has a message for you.”

            “What?”

            “She said to not let the memory of the blood taint your view of his heart,” Alya spoke cryptically.

            “What,” Aura breathed.

            _Hikari…_ Aura frowned again. _You see too much, sometimes. Sometimes the forest is more important than the trees._

            “Ash is coming back!” Misty’s voice interrupted Aura’s monologue.

            “He did it!” Nyx’s excitement matched Misty’s.

            Pidgeot landed unceremoniously in the cavern, and the two ran over to greet him and Ash. Lucian continued to fly in circles around them.

            “He’s a beautiful flyer,” Aura said in a low voice that only Alya could hear. “You must be very proud of him.”

            “What?” Alya gaped at her. “What do you mean?”

            “Sometimes I notice too much, too,” Aura smirked. She approached the others.

            “Sometimes I think you’re just needlessly reckless, Ash Ketchum,” Misty was scolding Ash.

            “He’s just doing what he’s destined to do,” Nyx defended him.

            “Besides,” Ash chuckled. “It’s me we’re talking about. I’m not going to die in a way so silly as throwing myself off a cliff after a blind bird. No offense.”

            “None taken,” Lucian nodded, hovering in the air nearby them.

            “I’m not going to die,” he repeated under Misty’s stern gaze. “Promise.”

            “If you do, I’ll never speak to you again.”

            “Really? I’m hurt.”

            They tried to remain serious, but soon burst into laughter.

            Aura’s ears flattened against her head.

            _I know those words_ , she thought to herself. _How ironic that I’m hearing them again. Here. Now. Everything._

            “What was it like?” Nyx asked. “To fly in the Sea of Winds?”

            “Freedom,” Ash said simply. “It wasn’t perfect, and I thought I was going to die a few times, but…” he smiled. “It was the freest I’ve ever felt.”

            _Freedom_ , the word echoed in Aura’s mind. _Of course you’d use that word. The one word that opens some of the deepest of wounds. The one word that has plagued my life for nearly its entirety. My past._ Our _past._

            “When can we return to the mainland?” Aura tried to change to subject.  

            Alya chuckled.

            “I’ll have an escort guide your boat back to human settlement in the morning. You came here from Two Island, right?”

            “Yeah,” Aura nodded.

            “For now, though, I suggest you rest and get some sleep. It’s been an exciting day, more so for some than others.”

            Aura scoffed.

            “Aura,” Ash’s voice caused her to turn. “Come here?”

            “What do you want, Chosen One?” Aura sighed.

            _I’m not apologizing for earlier._

            “You liked flying here, right?” He asked. “On Crobat? From the beach?”

            Aura gave a noncommittal shrug.

            Ash held out his hand.

            “How about a _real_ flight?” Ash offered. “And a sight you’ll never forget. I’ve never found anything so awesome before. Would you like to see how it feels to fly _with_ a Bird Pokémon, and not _on_ one?”

            _The Orbs are messing with his head_ , Aura blinked. _And his vocabulary. Though having that increase is actually an improvement, so I shouldn’t complain._

            “I think Misty would be a better choice,” she said flatly.

            _God knows you need all the romantic help you can get_.

            “You need this more,” Ash’s hand was still extended. “Trust me.”

            Aura looked at him. Her red eyes locked gazes with his dark blue ones.

            _Don’t let the memory of the blood taint your view of his heart…_

            _I trust Misty. And Misty trusts him completely. Should I trust him?_

_Can I?_

            _He’s not the one that betrayed you. He’s not the one who tried to kill you. He’s not the one who left you to die…alone…_

            After a tense moment, Aura raised her arm slowly, and gingerly took his hand.

 

…

 

Misty leaned back against the railing of the ship. The mist of the sea sprayed her back, and she inhaled the smell of the water.

            Nyx, Ash, and Pikachu were standing nearby, discussing their next course of action after the ferry made port in Vermillion again.

            “So, the Poison Temple’s in the Great Marsh,” Nyx started.

            “That’s in Sinnoh,” Ash nodded. “I’ve been there. We’ll have to find a boat or a cheap flight over there. Somehow.”

            “This quest of yours is going to eat up every cent of my savings from being Gym Leader, isn’t it?” Misty grinned.

            “That’s right,” Ash seemed to make a strange connection. “You’ve never been to Sinnoh before?”

            Misty shook her head.

            “It’s awesome!” Ash grinned. “You’ll love it; they’re really big on their lakes, and they have a lot of water Pokémon, of course, so….”

            “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Nyx chuckled. “We were lucky the boat we rented on Two Island wasn’t damaged. Our funds are running low, and we still have to feed ourselves.”

            “ _Some of us more than others_ ,” Pikachu chuckled.

            “What was that?” Ash looked at him.

            “We should also try to decide what Pokémon you want to take with you to the Temple,” Nyx kept them away from an argument. “Pikachu, obviously, and Pidgeot would be good choices. Now, if you have any…”

            “Hey, guys,” Aura walked up to them from the cabin.

            “What’s up?” Nyx grinned.

            “It would appear,” she jerked her arm upward, “that we have a stowaway.”

            Clenched in her hand was the tail of a cloaked, masked Rattata. 


	16. Interloper

Bells rang softly through the crisp, mountain air. Rayne would much rather be out in it, flying and frolicking. Any Mew would.

            But, few Mew, if any, got to do so anymore.

            No, now they had much more important matters they had to tend to.

            _There are too few of us left to bear this burden anymore_ , she sighed to herself, rubbing her wrists absentmindedly. The golden metal of the bracelets felt ice cold against her skin, as always, but she never seemed to notice.

            Rayne looked around the stone hall. A long, wooden table sat in the middle, a silky, purple cloth thrown unevenly on top of it. A tall window let in light from the setting sun in the opposite end. The walls were ornamented with faded banners of varying colors and designs. Against one wall stood a tall, stone bookshelf, its shelves littered with volumes stacked in various, haphazard ways.

            The sunlight was briefly blotted out as a large, green, serpentine figure burst in through the open window. The green dragon Pokémon let out a roar as it circled around Rayne continuously. The Mew gave a mildly uninterested glance at the Rayquaza’s face, noticing the large, dark scar running in a jagged pattern over its left eye.           

            “Ah,” Rayne almost smiled. “Erasmus. We were beginning to think that you’d gotten yourself killed after all. Have you been a Rayquaza this whole time? Or did you find another Legend to anger with your…imitation?”

            The Rayquaza stopped, its body glowing. There was a flash, and the Rayquaza was replaced with another Mew, this one bearing a similar scar, a half-shredded blue ascot around his neck, and what appeared to be a blue legwarmer on his tail. He crossed his arms, floating over to Rayne.

            “How was I supposed to know that my kindness to those humans would lead to me being imprisoned and convoluted back and forth through time?” His voice was raspy, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time. “Damn bastards, they have no respect for the Guardians, anymore.”

            “Only because they do not know,” Rayne reminded him. “I notice that you’re trying to avoid my question. Which Legend were you portraying yourself as?”

            “You know, humans just don’t appreciate the same Legends as they used to,” Erasmus refused to make eye contact. “Used to be, I could zip around the skies as an Articuno or swim through an island’s volcano as a Heatran, and the people would go head over heels for me.”

            “ _Erasmus_ ,” Rayne’s dark purple eyes narrowed to slits.

            “So I went a little overboard,” Erasmus focused his grey eyes on the bookshelf. “I mean, I _did_ spend centuries creating my own set of Plates from scratch…”

            “ _ARCEUS?!?_ ” Rayne breathed, her eyes wide again. “You _deserved_ whatever pain the humans put you through. You _know_ the danger you could have put those people in. All because you wanted to _play God_. What if… _he_ had… _gotten_ you?”

            “You don’t know?” Erasmus glared at her. “After all…the Traitor is _your_ area of expertise, is it not?”

            “Now, Eras,” A male voice accompanied a burst of light, as another Mew teleported into the hall. “You know better than to antagonize the Matriarch of our Order. She has the burden of not only what remains of _our_ people, but that of the whole world on her shoulders.” This Mew had brown eyes, slightly darker pink fur than the others, and wore a simple, faded grey cloak.

            “Zerak,” Erasmus identified his old friend. “Still standing up for your mate, I see. I admit I messed up. But I cleaned my mess.” He shot Rayne a look. “Some of us need to learn how to do that.”

            “It’s not that simple,” Rayne sighed. “We’re not as powerful as we used to be. We don’t hold sway. We’re not really the Guardian Pokémon, not anymore. We no longer live alongside the mortal races, guiding and befriending them. That started to fall apart on the very night…that the Sage-King was struck down.”

            “Yes,” Erasmus nodded. “The Sage-King Hikaru. _Your_ charge, if I’m not mistaken. But, you were so blinded by your…irrational _emotions_ , that you didn’t see the danger until too late.”            “I was young,” Rayne looked down. “I was blind. But, I’ve learned to see. I became Matriarch, did I not?”

            “Did _you_ not support her becoming such?” Zerak added.

            It was Erasmus’s turn to sigh.

            “I suppose you’re right. I hate it when you gang up on me, though.”

            “I hate it when you vanish for years at a time,” Rayne allowed herself a small chuckle to lighten the mood.

            “Speaking of vanishing,” Erasmus smirked. “Where’s your son? Did he fly off to _her_ again? He’s always been such a flirt. Seems that trait of yours didn’t _completely_ die, eh?”

            “He’s been on a mission for the past…decade or two,” Rayne said.

            “A human charge?” Erasmus asked. “They still think we’re genderless and incapable of breeding?”

            “They may never know the truth again,” Zerak shook his head. “But, now’s not the time to discuss what’s been lost. We’re about to have a Council meeting about what’s finally arrived.”

            “What,” Erasmus said flatly.

            “The Council should be appearing…” Rayne started.

            There were several bursts of lights of various colors, as more Mew Teleported into the hall around the wooden table.

            “Now,” Rayne finished. “How many are with us?” She asked her mate.

            “Counting us?” Zerak made a quick head check. “Twenty-one.”

            “Our son would be twenty-two,” Rayne mused out loud. “But where is the twenty-third?” She spoke up. “Who among us is not present?”

            “Matriarch?” A female spoke. “Hadrian Llyr sent me a message that he would not attend. He is busy granting safe passage across the sea to…to….”

            “Yes, yes,” Rayne nodded to the faltering Mew. “That is why we are here.” She looked around the table. “Many, many eons ago, we lived among the humans and Pokémon, forming bonds with them and becoming close friends and mentors to many individuals. We were many, and we protected and guided the shorter-lived mortals, as we ourselves were once considered the Mortal Folk to the Legends that ruled the world. Now, minus a few loners and what Mew can still be considered–by our reckoning–as children, we are all that’s left.

            “Those that were Cursed sought us out, to serve as puppets or pets, to barter or trade like some precious metal, or to kill as some sort of trophy or sign of power. And worse, there were those that sought us out for a viler reason…those who knew the most evil of magic…those who sought to create Returned beasts out of us.”

            “Not even the Traitor succeeded with _that_ ,” a male reminded her. “Your quick acting that dreadful night gave us enough warning to prevent it.”

            “Thank Arceus I was able to do _that_ much,” Rayne nodded. “At least we know that he’s not using any of us as his unwilling slaves.”

            “Not that it matters anymore,” another female sighed. “We wander around, watching and waiting. For what? We can’t interact with the mortals anymore, we can really have any effect on their world. We hide and hide and hide, and live in secret. Even your son is living in a dangerous lie, on an impossible mission. One that could get us _all_ killed.”

            “Even the Clan we once interacted directly with…is all but gone, the Half-Marked One taken from their home into Arceus-knows what hellhole decades ago. Even by our own time, we’ve all but given up.” Another male agreed.

            “The Second Clan did not live in the same Realm as the First, the Ketchum Clan, and you know it, Raguel,” Zerak reminded him. “The Clan needed to send the Half-Mark out into the world one day, if we were to succeed in defeating the Traitor before the Dawn of Ages.” He sighed. “I agree that the manner in which it occurred was beyond terrible, and has likely caused traumas that will affect the mindset of those in its bloodline for generations to come, but it is not without the glimmer of hope. For we now have our great weapon against the Traitor. At last, the warrior has risen, and has accepted his destiny.”

            “What!” Erasmus gasped. “The…boy? The boy?” He recalled a face from his unusual adventure while he had been playing Arceus.

            “A few decades ago,” Rayne continued, “The Light Sage, Hikari, told me that a man calling himself a Ketchum was currently being sheltered in her Keep. He bore the Half-Mark, as far as any in the Mortal Orders could tell, and I myself could see it as well. My son, who had been deeply connected to the Clan’s lost sons, had rejoiced to be reunited with the family he’d watched over for generations. And I…I was overjoyed for another reason.

            “There was a woman. A human female, from a family whose name I did not recognize. But, I knew at once. She bore the second Half.”

            “The second Half-Mark?” One of the Council members asked. “At long last?”

            “Yes,” Rayne nodded. “A little over a decade-and-a-half ago…a boy was born…bearing the full Mark of Hikaru.

            “The Chosen One.”

            “Not a moment too soon,” a female nodded. “But why did you wait to tell us…for so long?”

            “I didn’t,” Rayne said. “I didn’t know for sure that a child bearing the full Mark _had_ been born until a few weeks ago, when Hikari sent me a message herself. He is currently on his journey to the Temples, and slowly gaining control over the Elements.”

            “Will it be too late?” A Council member asked.

            “What about the Traitor? Is our ally succeeding in her part?” Another spoke up.

            “Even weakened, the Traitor is far too powerful for a _child_!”

            “There is no way that he can master the Elements in such a short time!”

            “The Dawn is approaching faster than even humans can imagine!”

            “Will he be willing to fulfill his final sacrifice?”

            “Why would any child give up something so…wonderful?”

            “Quiet,” Rayne said in a calm, level tone.

            The Council obeyed instantly.

            “Forgive me,” one member eventually said. “But if your son could not succeed in _his_ mission in the amount of time he’s been gone, then how can the Chosen One ever manage to defeat the most powerful Mortal alive before the Dawn?”

            “Even you couldn’t strike him down,” Erasmus nodded. “That night, you could not slay the Traitor, even as he focused on killing the Sage-King.”

            “That…was not because I was afraid of dying,” Rayne admitted. “With age comes wisdom, some say. But, it is _experience_ that begets wisdom. And I know now, that guilt over slaying a friend…might be desirable over the guilt of not stopping an enemy before he single-handedly destroys an entire Order of peace, and unleashes the evil of the Curse onto the world.”

            “Even now, we fight the Curse,” Zerak added. “And we now pray…that it never touches the heart of the Chosen One.”

            “The Chosen One,” a female spoke up. “Hadrian…is taking him back to the mainland. He’s just claimed his third Element.”          

            “Flying,” Rayne identified. “How fitting. Perhaps the Element of freedom will aid him in freeing the world from the Traitor’s Curse.”

            “Hadrian said…” the female continued, her voice becoming unstable. “Hadrian said that the Chosen One was accompanied by an Umbreon of the Elemental Order.”

            “Zyne?” Rayne asked. “No…Zyne would be considered old by now, an Elder. His son, then. Anyone else?”

            “A female Lucario.”

            “Fitting. The Ketchum Clan has always had a tie to the use of Aura, due to the Half-Mark, after all.”

            “A Pikachu of a high level.”

            “The Chosen One would likely be a Trainer in this day and age. It _is_ the common starting career for many in his Region.”

            “And a human female, roughly of his own age.”

            “That’s odd,” a male blinked. “I thought that the full Mark was supposed to eliminate any sort of sexual drive in the Chosen One. Allow them to pursue and fulfill their destiny, without anything getting in the way.”

            “That’s an insensitive thing to say,” a female retorted. “A romantic companion can often drive a hero to become even better than he already was, after all. Rayne’s own son is a wonderful example. Plus, he might not even have a romantic or sexual attachment to her. She could simply be a friend.”

            “It is a good point, though,” Rayne spoke again. “It is stated in the Prophecy that the Mark would eliminate any sort of…desire of the flesh. At least, as much as possible. Perhaps it is an archaic translation mistake. No one was present when Hikaru created the Half-Marks, after all. Not even me.”

            “We should keep an eye on him,” Zerak offered. “Just to be sure that he’ll…be able to fulfill his destiny. He might have trouble…if he’s going to have something to lose.”

            “That’s not all,” the soft-spoken female continued. “Hadrian said…that the boy’s name…is Ashura.”

            A tense silence filled the room.

            “Gyles wouldn’t have known,” Rayne shook her head. “It was his own _middle_ name, after all.”

            “That was due to his _own_ father having a more…fatherly wish for Gyles than one would initially expect, not due to some sort of family arrogance,” Zerak added.

            “You did not speak to Gyles when he was in the Keep,” she reminded her mate. “Believe me when I say that there was no room for arrogance in Gyles’ heart…or his father’s. Only shame and guilt.”

            “How the mighty have fallen,” Erasmus said flatly. “In any case, this simply means that I vote we keep an even closer eye on the lad.”

            “Indeed,” Rayne nodded. “The Chosen One’s success in fulfilling his Prophecy is our number one priority. All in favor of keeping a secret watch on the Chosen in any way we can manage?”

            Though a few were hesitant, gradually every Mew raised his or her hand in agreement.

            _Ashura_.

            It was a dangerous name.

            _Ultimate Power._

            Any warrior would dream of bearing a name with such a powerful meaning.

            But, it was also filled with dark secrets.

            Of the three beings that Rayne knew to have ever borne it, only one still lived with a good heart.

            _Now, young Ashura walks a path that will make him the most powerful human alive, should he succeed. I only hope that such…Ultimate Power…that it does not corrupt his pure heart…and lead him to the Curse._

            _If the Chosen One is ever Cursed…then it would take an act of God to stop him._

 

…

 

Ash blinked several times. He still wasn’t sure what exactly he was looking at.

            “Aura?” Misty asked slowly. “Why are you holding that Rattata like that? By the tail? That’s really…inhumane.”

            “What is it _wearing_?” Ash added.

            _We’ve seen some weird shit lately, but come on. How much worse is the insanity going to get?_

            “He’s wearing the garb of the Order of Mew!” Nyx exclaimed.

            “What?” Ash and Misty looked at the Shiny Umbreon at the same time.

            “Woul’ja lemme down, now?” The Rattata spoke in a rough, undeterminable accent. “I was in da middle o’sumthing, ya know?”

            “What,” Ash blinked again.

            “Another talking Pokémon,” Misty sighed.

            “I… _think_ it was speaking in human language,” Nyx nodded. “Why would a Rattata that couldn’t speak properly be dressed as a member of the Order of Mew?”

            “Order of what?” Ash turned to Nyx again.

            “Order of Mew,” Nyx repeated. “It’s a sister Order to the Order of the Elements. It’s mostly just comprised of the majority of the remaining Mew population, with a few strays and orphans and such taken in by them from time to time. They work with _our_ Order in several ways, but mostly just with the Light Sage. I only ever met one of them once, a Mew who was dressed in a similar manner as this Rattata.”

            “Mah name is Jerzy,” the Rattata attempted to free himself from Aura’s grip. “And I can hear ya jus’ fine, ya know.”

            “The Mew certainly did _not_ teach him how to speak, for sure.”

            “So, wait,” Ash shook his head. “How many Mew are left?”

            “A few dozen, give o’ take,” Jerzy said in a bored tone, attempting to scratch at Aura’s grip with his claws.

            The Lucario dropped him in disinterest, and fluidly stepped on his tail to prevent him from fleeing.

            “What does it matter?” Aura asked. “So there’s another Order with secrets and so forth. So what? They’re not evil or in our way, so what should we care?”

            “They could help us,” Nyx answered. “They very well could be already. They are known to take on many forms, even humans. Anyone we come across could be a Mew.”

            “I refuse to believe that this rat is actually a Mew,” Aura scoffed.

            “No, I doubt that, too,” Nyx shook his head. “But he was certainly a member of the Order, once.”

            “So wha’ if I was?” Jerzy yanked futilely on his own tail. “Poin’ is, I do wha’ I want now, and dun have to listen ta no one.”

            “Please, for the love of all that is holy,” Aura rubbed her forehead. “Learn to speak. You’re worse than Ash.”

            “Hey!” Ash exclaimed. “I speak pretty good!”

            “Pretty _well_ ,” Aura said automatically. “And, no. Not really.”

            “And _you’re_ some sort of language goddess, I’m _sure_ ,” Ash grimaced.

            “Considering I spent…what? Three years? All that time, practically alone, on a mountain, with no way to know if I was even speaking at all or just losing my sanity, then yeah. I think I speak rather well.”

            “What about this little guy?” Nyx knelt to look the Rattata in the eye. “Who are you and why are you dressed in the cloak and mask of a ward of the Order?”

            “Ward?” Ash asked.

            “Someone under the care of the Mews in the Order,” Nyx didn’t even look at Ash, focused on Jerzy.

            “Mah name is Jerzy, I tol’ ya,” Jerzy sounded irritated. “Yea, I lived wid da Order a few years ago. Den, I decide dat the skills I’d learned wid the Mews coul’ be used to make mah own life easy, rather dan work mah tail off for a bun’ o’ overbearin’ an’ overprotective bookworms.”

            “That was easy,” Nyx stood, blinking. “So, you’re a thief? You abuse the hospitality of the most powerful Order of creatures for good on this planet…to take the fruits of the hard labors of others for yourself?”

            “So wha’ if I do?” Jerzy scowled. “I dun need anyone but meself, now.”

            “You have no honor or integrity,” Nyx said flatly. “Let him go, Aura. We don’t need someone like him bringing us down.”

            Aura looked at Jerzy. He had at least one gold tooth in his mouth. Maybe….

            “Why?” Aura crossed her arms. “You heard him. He’s a thief, has been for years. I’m sure he’s accumulated a rather large horde of valuables by now, money and so forth. Or, am I wrong, and you’re really just a pathetic _street rat_?”

            “Nah,” Jerzy shot her a dirty look. “I ‘ave a small fortune, I do. Coul’ prob’ly fund a small army for months. Da result of mah years of hard work and patience.”

            Aura smirked.

            “All the more reason we should…keep him,” she narrowed her eyes. She looked up at Ash. “Our funds aren’t unlimited, after all. Plus, without being signed up for a league or gym challenge or anything right now, you’re trainer’s salary is…lacking to begin with. I say we let the little deserter pay for our little…quest.”

            “Absolutely not,” Jerzy hissed. “Mah spoils are mah own, and no one else may steal wha’ I’ve rightfully earned.”

            “By stealing,” Nyx reminded him.

            Aura reached down and grabbed Jerzy by the scruff of his neck. She released his tail, but brought the rat Pokémon up to her face.

            “How pathetic,” Aura growled. “No honor amongst thieves, after all. Even I didn’t steep so low as to live off of other’s work. I lived for _years_ by the skin of my own fangs. I got my ass handed to me time and again, especially that first winter, but damn it, I made it by my own effort. By _real_ work. _Real_ patience. So, get off your moral high Ponyta. We’re not the thieves here. You are.”

            “Actually…” Nyx started.

            “Shut up,” Aura snapped, and Nyx obeyed, blinking rapidly.

            Jerzy was staring at Aura’s fangs, his eyes wide.

            “I’m not too sure about that,” Ash spoke up. “I mean, I know we need the money, but c’mon Aura. He’s a thief. We’d be using _stolen_ money. Isn’t that, like, against the law?”

            “I think it’s a felony,” Misty agreed.

            “Please,” Aura scoffed. “The law’s not legal, anymore.”

            “That…made no sense.”

            “Tell me, Ashy-boy,” Aura sneered. “Do you even know the two biggest companies in Kanto, and most of the world, really, right now?”

            “Um,” Ash stammered. “Silph Corporation and Beacon Industries are big in Kanto. And, Devon Corporation in Hoenn’s pretty big, too.”

            “Do you know who’s in charge of Silph and Beacon?”

            “Um, Silph’s run by that old guy, what’s his name?” Ash glanced at Misty.

            “Uh…I, I dunno,” Misty shrugged.

            “And,” Ash turned back to Aura, “I believe that Beacon Industries was founded and run by the Zolton Barony. I think that the current CEO is the current Baron.”

            Aura ignored the struggling Jerzy in her grip to look at Ash like he was missing something.

            “Who is the current Baron?” Aura asked slowly.

            “The…Baron Zolton?”

            “First name, dolt.”

            “Oh, um…” Ash stammered. “It’s um…uh….”

            “You never paid attention in class, did you?” Misty chuckled.

            “Oh, and _you_ know,” Ash glared at her.

            “Of course, Ash,” Misty said. “Beacon Industries funded a lot of company and political banquets and fancy balls and such in Celadon and Cerulean and Saffron and nearby cities. The Baron is Giovanni Zolton.”

            Aura smirked.

            “Say that again.”

            “Baron Giovanni Zolton?” Misty asked, before her eyes widened in realization. “Giovanni.”

            “Wait,” Ash held up a hand. “Giovanni? The guy you said was the leader of Team Rocket? He’s the _Baron Zolton?_ ”

            “You finally get it,” Aura sighed.

            “Doesn’t Beacon Industries develop a lot of the weapons the police force use?” Misty asked.

            “And they fund the police and many politicians in various ways in varying levels of legality,” Aura nodded. “In other words…Team Rocket _is_ the law.”

            “Which is to say the law doesn’t exist,” Nyx blinked.

            “No wonder you hate humans so much,” Misty made a connection in a quiet voice.

            “So I think that using money that could very well be stolen from Rockets, even maybe the Baron himself, would be the lesser evil,” Aura said.

            “How do you know all of this?” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “Oy!” Jerzy interrupted. “I’m still ‘ere, ya know?”

            “Oh, yeah,” Aura remembered the rat in her grip. “So, you’re going to be joining us, then, I suppose. At least, your money is.”

            “Wha’s innit fer me?” Jerzy asked.

            Aura bared her teeth at the Rattata, who twitched visibly.

            “You lived with the Order,” Nyx started. “So, I’m sure you’ve heard the legend of the Chosen One.”

            “Puh,” Jerzy scoffed. “Dat’s nuthin’ but a bun’ o’ wishy-washy fairy tales. Ain’t no su’ ting as sum all powerful human wha’ can use Pokémon’s powers.”

            “What?” Ash looked at Nyx.

            “He doesn’t believe in the Chosen One,” Aura clarified in an irritated tone. “Or, apparently, in _enunciating_.”

            “Wha’s your problem, bish?” Jerzy scowled at Aura.

            Aura snarled at him again, and his scowl disappeared as the fur on his face practically blanched.

            “Dun eat me…” Jerzy breathed.

            “Don’t piss me off,” Aura said.

            _Someone who actually_ afraid _of Aura,_ Ash finally got it. _This could be very bad for her attitude, especially towards me._

            “I _am_ the Chosen One,” Ash muttered.

            “Prove it.”

            Ash looked at Nyx.

            “Go ahead. The captain’s in the cabin; he won’t see.”

            Ash sighed, before waving his hand. A few stars of a Swift attack shot out of the swipe and past Jerzy and Aura.

            “It’s not much, yet, but I’m still training,” Ash grumbled. _Never thought I’d be the one trained by a_ Pokémon _,_ he added to himself.

            “You…you…you…” Jerzy’s eyes threatened to bulge out of his head.

            “Ash is the Chosen One,” Nyx nodded. “You know the honor it would be to help him in fulfilling his destiny. As one who was taken in–even temporarily–by the Order of Mew, you should see it as a moral _duty_ to aid the hero who will help usher in a new era of peace.”

            “Uh…” Ash wasn’t sure how to respond to that. _Hero. Not sure I like that word anymore._

            His stammer was cut off by the Rattata making a strange, wheezing like sound.

            “Heheeheehhheh,” Jerzy gave a raspy chuckle. “You askin’ me ta stick mah neck out fer someone else? Someone I dun even know? Jus’ ‘cause he can use Swift? Hehehahaheheh! I’d ratha’ throw meself overboard into a pod o’ Gyarados!”

            Nyx blinked.

            “Think of the treasure you’d have access to,” Aura said in soft tone.

            “Wha’?”

            “We’re traveling to and around regions you’d never have access to on your own. You’ll never have opportunities like this without us or our little quest. We won’t be able to use everything you’d be stealing to fund our journey, after all. Plus,” Aura’s smirk deepened, “imagine the glory and high reputation you’d get from being one of the companions that helped the almighty Chosen One. Your wealth would practically steal itself.”

            “And da blasted Order woul’ stop tryin’ to fin’ me?”

            “Only one way to find out,” Aura sighed.

            “Well,” Jerzy scowled again. “I s’pose I coul’ fund a trial period. But, I ‘pect ta be supplied wid rations durin’ da whole endeavor.”

            “What?”

            “He wants us to feed him in exchange for funding our travels,” Aura clarified.

            “Any objections?” Nyx asked the others nervously.

            “I…I don’t like using stolen money, but if it’s really stolen from the leader of Team Rocket…”

            “Tha’ Baron guy?” Jerzy asked. “Yea, I sto’ plenty o’ col’ hard cash from da bastard. I nevah really used it. Jus’ stole it to put ‘im in ‘is place. Not even a grea’ thief like meself deserves dat much pure wealth.”

            Ash grimaced, an unusually dark look in his eyes.

            “Yeah,” he nodded. “I think I might be okay with that, after all.”

            “I’m not entirely sure of all the human ethics involved here, so my vote lies with the Chosen One here,” Nyx nodded back.

            “ _I agree that we should take every chance to use Team Rocket’s crimes against them and help us along,_ ” Pikachu spoke for the first time during the whole conflict. “ _He may be morally questionable in general, but he doesn’t seem evil._ ”

            “I feel no love at first sight for the rat, myself,” Aura added, “but I suppose I should support my own idea. We do need the money, and the less funds we have to work for means that we’ll get through this whole thing that much faster and smoother.”

            “That’s that, then,” Nyx grinned.

            “Welcome to the team,” Ash muttered half-heartedly.

            “Uh,” Jerzy wasn’t sure how to respond.

            “Hear that, little punk?” Aura gave the Rattata a cold smile. “You’re coming with us.”

 

…

 

“Really?” Aura exasperated under her breath. “You’d think you’d have expected that…”

            “Uh…miss,” a nervous man in a blue uniform motioned for her to stand aside. “Could…you please?”

            _Of_ course _I set off the metal detector_ , she scowled as she stood aside and allowed them to check her with a handheld metal detector. _I’m part-Steel, after all. My spikes are fused metal and horn-like material, and I even have a high level of iron in my blood system compared to humans and non-Steel types._

_Or, so my father often told me._

_Why is this guy looking at me funny?_ She cast a skeptical glance at the nervous man as he slowly backed away.

            “Uh…you’re…you’re clear…m-miss…” he finally stammered. “Have…a g-good flight.”

            “Whatever,” Aura grumbled, trudging over to the end of security. She grabbed her jacket and pack out of the grey bins and slipped them on once more. She had ultimately decided on abandoning all of her weapons from her old life. There would just be no way to keep them with her in human territories anymore.

            _Besides,_ she reminded herself as she rejoined the others, _I’ve got actual Attacks. I even have the power of Psychic again._

_Though,_ she admitted to herself, _I still don’t have the gift of my own namesake back yet. I might never regain that ability._

            She shot a glare at Jerzy, who was seated on Misty’s shoulder.

            He _didn’t have to be checked with a handheld,_ Aura thought bitterly. _He also looks way too smug up there._

            “I never said you could sit there,” Misty seemed to read Aura’s mind.

            “I dun wanna be tramp’d on by da crowds.”

            _Nor do you want to say any word the same way twice,_ Aura thought. She smiled slightly. _At least you’re not trying to fool anyone with some sort of fake friendship._

            “Let’s just find our gate,” Ash suggested before anyone could spark an argument. “We board in half an hour, after all.”

            As they walked through the crowds, Aura couldn’t stop looking around at the other travelers. They all seemed to be whispering amongst themselves in hurried voices.

            _No,_ Aura shook her head. _I’m just imagining things. I’ve been out in the wilderness for so long, I’ve forgotten how to act in a human crowd. That’s all._

            “Did you see that Lucario, mommy?” A little boy said in a loud, excited voice as they passed.

            _Maybe I’m_ not _paranoid,_ Aura frowned.

            “Guys?” She asked, sitting down when they reached their gate.

            “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Nyx?” Misty asked the Umbreon, not catching Aura’s soft question. “Flying in a crate with the checked luggage, I mean. Well, you won’t be _with_ the luggage, exactly. You’ll be with other quadruped Pokémon that can’t be safely boarded in a seat with the human passengers.”

            “Whatever it takes to help Ash and you guys,” Nyx grinned. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve found it rather easy to adjust to the way things work in the human world.”

            _Strangely,_ Aura gave him a curious glance, though he didn’t see it, _I’ve found myself adapting rather naturally myself. Well…readapting._

            _Though, planes are a first. They’re not like helicopters. Though, I used to be able to keep my balance flying in one of those._

_And neither is quite like flying on the back of a bird Pokémon._

            She thought of the wind in her fur, the soft mist of the ocean spray on her face, the soft feel on her arm of…

            _What the hell?_ Aura shook her head. _Snap out of it!_

            She looked over across the seating area, to see two teenage males, probably trainers, who were talking out of the corner of their mouths to each other while staring blatantly at her.

            _What the_ hell? Aura thought again.

            “Misty?” Aura turned to look at the teenager. “Is there something on my face?”

            “No, why?” Misty seemed taken by surprise by the question.

            “Is it super unusual for Pokémon to wear clothes lately, or something?”

            “No…”

            “I know that plenty of people walk around with their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs, so that’s not it….” She mused. _In fact, I’ve seen at least half a dozen trainers walking with their Pokémon on this side of security alone._

            “Then…why is everyone staring at me like I’m some sort of freak?” Aura asked.

            “Hey, dude,” a teenage boy approached Ash. “Is that your Lucario?”

            “I don’t-!” Aura started angrily.

            “We’re traveling together…” Ash said uncomfortably.

            “What do you feed her?”

            “What?” Ash gave the strange trainer a look. “…W-why?”

            “Your Lucario is _huge!_ ” The trainer exclaimed. “How did you raise her to be so _big?_ ”

            Aura gaped, and stared at Misty from out of the corner of her eye.

            “I look fat?”

            “No!” Misty and Nyx both said immediately.

            “No, you’re…very healthy-looking!” Nyx stammered, not making eye contact.  

            “What I mean is,” the trainer stammered, noticing that he’d inadvertently insulting Aura. “…You…see…most Lucario are around 4 feet tall at most. And…you’re…well…”

            “What?” Aura stood up, snarling. “A freak?”

            “No!” The trainer raised his hands in defense. “It’s really cool! It’s a sign of some amazing training with a perfectly balanced diet! I mean, you’re about…five feet-one or so, maybe even five-four! You must be really strong!”

            “Either this is going to make her temper worse…” Ash muttered to himself, “or it’ll inflate her ego. I can’t decide what’d be worse.”

            “I…I guess,” Aura looked away awkwardly. “I never really thought about it.”

            “Uh,” Ash stammered to the trainer. “She just eats normal food.”

            “Like…human food?”

            “If she wants,” Ash shrugged. “She took care of herself every day before we met. She’s always been this big, as long as I’ve known her. I figure she knows better than I could what she should eat.”

            “Ask my Pokémon…” the trainer said to himself. “Well, thanks stranger! Have a smooth flight!” And as suddenly as the trainer had appeared, he vanished off into the airport’s crowds.

            “That…was odd…” Aura sat back down with a sigh. “I guess I haven’t seen another Lucario in so long, that I forgot…”

            “What about Odin?” Misty reminded her.

            “He was rather tall, too, now that I think about it,” Ash focused on a tile on the ground in front of him. “I guess it could have been from his intense training as a Sage, or from being around the Fighting Orb and its pure power.”

            “What about Aura?” Misty asked Ash. “She’s definitely not a Sage. No offense.”

            “Whatever,” Aura shrugged.

            “And, you said you’d met a Lucario before,” Misty continued. “Several, actually. Shouldn’t you have noticed the difference, Mr. Pokémon Master?”

            “Been a while since I heard you use _that_ nickname, _Mist_ ,” Ash smirked. “And…I dunno, I never really noticed it. I had quite a growth spurt myself this past year, after all. I guess I didn’t notice since the difference was the same, still.”

            “ _More or less,_ ” Pikachu sighed. “ _Plus, since when does Ash ever notice anything? He only noticed when his voice broke because Max kept laughing._ ”

            “Good point,” Misty chuckled. “How _did_ you get so much taller than average?”

            Aura shrugged again.

            “My parents were both above average,” she said in an uninterested tone. “Well, my mother wasn’t _much_ taller, maybe four-and-a-half feet or so, but my father was _huge_. I remember he was just a couple inches short of six feet.”

            “ _WHAT,_ ” Misty, Ash, and Nyx all gaped at her.

            “That’s… _unbelievable!_ ” Nyx breathed. “Even the legendary Hikaru was rumored to only be around five foot at _most_.”

            “It…wasn’t…natural,” Aura muttered, looking away. “He was…forced to become so…big.”

            “What?” Misty pressed gently.

            Aura didn’t say anything further, refusing to look up.

            “Aura?” Ash started.

            Misty grabbed his arm, shaking her head when he turned to look at her quizzically.

            _This could be part of why she’s so messed up emotionally…_ Misty thought to herself. _It could be because her father, who apparently raised her, wasn’t entirely stable himself. This whole thing could run in her family. It could go even deeper than_ that.

            _Aura might have been born in an entire_ world _of secrets._

 

…

 

Silver sat on the hallway floor, with Minerva standing right in front of him. He had the Sneasel’s right hand in his left, and he was rubbing her claws with a shining claw.

            “Stocks have decreased…” A voice came from a nearby wooden door.

            _Really?_ Silver grimaced. _He’s dealing with his cover’s career_ now? _Does he not even_ care _that he’s at a huge risk of blowing_ both _of our covers?_ He started shining the claws on Minerva’s other hand with a furious intensity.

              _Not that I should really_ care _about_ my _cover,_ he thought to himself. _It might very well be_ easier, _if I didn’t have to pretend to be some sort of quiet, well-behaved son of a Baron in public, and deal with people treating me like a pathetic, weak little kid in private._

            _No. The Rockets won’t treat me like a little kid anymore,_ Silver reminded himself. _I’m an Elite, now. My strength is implied by that alone. I just have to live up to that expectation, now._

            _Strength,_ a dark voice echoed in his mind.

            Silver shook his head.

            “Snea!” Minerva jerked her claws out of Silver’s hand, scratching him slightly.

            He refrained from a hiss of pain. A streak of red blood started to seep from his upper arm. He placed his opposite hand on it for pressure.

            “A Sneasel, eh?” A gentleman’s voice said in a jolly tone behind him.

            Silver stood up, turning to face the owner of the voice. It was a kindly looking man, with short, thinning salt-and-pepper hair and a similar beard. The classy business suit he wore confirmed what Silver overheard. His father was doing business as his cover as the Baron.

_People think that Beacon Industries is building them a better tomorrow or some such cliché_ , Silver thought. _In truth, they’re just selling more and more of themselves and their Regions to Team Rocket. The Team is infiltrating every aspect of their lives, even in Hoenn and now Sinnoh as well, now that Teams Aqua, Magma, and Galactic have been defeated and effectively disbanded._

_I’m going to inherit a world as corrupt as my father’s heart._

            “Yeah,” Silver finally said in a non-committal tone.

            “I’m surprised the Baron didn’t mention his son finally became a trainer.”

            “Guess it slipped his mind,” he gripped his wounded arm tighter to prevent himself from sounding as angry as he felt. The change in pressure resulted in some blood seeping between his fingers. “He’s…a busy man.” _Busy being one of the world’s biggest crime lords._

            “Young Master Silver!” The gentleman gasped. “You’re injured.”

            “I’m fine.” _I’ve had worse._

            “Baron!” The gentleman yelled back into Giovanni’s personal study.

            “Yes, what is it?” Giovanni walked out slowly.

            “Your son is injured!” The gentleman’s concern was genuine.

            “I’m fine,” Silver repeated angrily.

            “If my son says he is fine… then he is fine,” Giovanni assured the gentleman. “I believe he is mature enough to take care of himself. He _has_ had worse, after all.”

            “Ah, yes, I’d heard rumors,” the gentleman nodded. “Well, if that’s the case, then,” he gave Giovanni a curt nod. “Take care of yourself, Master Silver.” The gentleman left without another word.

            “What was that about?” Silver narrowed his eyes at Giovanni after the gentleman was out of earshot. It wasn’t often that they had any real visitors in their private home in the city.

            “Business,” Giovanni said simply.

            _You deserve the whole truth,_ the voice whispered in the back of Silver’s mind.

            “What about?” He pressed.

            Giovanni looked at him.

            “As your son and _heir_ , I deserve to know what I’ll be inheriting one day,” Silver glared at him.

            Giovanni blinked, eyes widening slightly at Silver’s aggressive tone. Silver was always angry at his father, but this…this was worse than usual.

            Shouldn’t his new rank and position as an Elite and a trainer have _brightened_ his mood, rather than _darken_ it?

            “Silph Corporation’s in some financial trouble right now, and their stock’s dropping dramatically,” Giovanni said with a sigh. “We might be able to buy them out, if their problems continue to worsen at this rate.”

            “I…I see,” Silver glanced downward.

            _Team Rocket would have an absolute monopoly in Kanto and Johto and virtually one in Orre, Sevii, and Sinnoh. Only Hoenn and the Orange Islands would have any competition, due to their dependence on Devon Corporation._

            _This is bad._

            “I have your assignment for you, if you’d like to be the one to relay it to your Agents and Grunts.”

            “What?” Silver was shocked by Giovanni’s tone. It was… _kind_.

            _This cannot_ possibly _be my father! He’s not a_ kind _man. He’s a_ bastard. _He always has been, as long as I’ve known him._

_What is going on?_

            _Be on guard_ , the voice whispered. _Giovanni’s known to be manipulative and power-hungry. Would it really be such a stretch for him to use his son for his own goals? After all, his_ own _father…_

            Silver’s grimace deepened.

            “Sure,” Silver said, following Giovanni into his study, recalling Minerva as he did.

            “I’ll not waste your time,” Giovanni took a seat at his desk. This one was much simpler than the one at Rocket Headquarters, bare but for a single picture frame. The walls were covered with bookshelves filled to capacity.

            “Sir?”

            “We’ve received several dozen reports of a strange shrine just north of Union Cave on Route 32 in Johto,” Giovanni started. “While the scientists in the Team haven’t found anything particularly useful about the shrine itself, yet, there have also been multiple sightings of a strange and powerful Pokémon. Your mission is to take your men to the Shrine, both to back up and defend our science team present, and to investigate and capture the Pokémon, if at all possible. In any case, all intel is to be reported directly to me.”

            “…Understood,” Silver nodded. “I’ll relay the information to my Agents at Headquarters immediately. I assume the Grunts assigned to me are already standing by for their orders.”

            _Well, I’ve adjusted to_ speaking _like an Elite rather fast._

_Maybe I should be more concerned about…_

            “Yes,” Giovanni said. “Also, you’ll be assigned to work with another Elite as liaison.”

            “What?” Silver asked. “Who?”

            “Elite 009.”

            Silver gaped at him, a rage igniting in his chest.

            “ _What_ ,” Silver kept his voice just short of a yell. “Absolutely not! _Why?_ ”

            “Those are my orders.”

            “Are you saying that as the Boss, or as my _father?_ ”

            “Both.”

            The door opened before Silver could yell his retort.

            “Sire,” Dagger walked in.

            Silver turned to look at the Lucario bodyguard.

            “Yes, Dag?”

            “Archer has sent word that he’s set up and awaiting your signal,” Dagger spoke in a calm tone.

            “I suppose I’ll go contact him,” Giovanni sighed. He stood up and started to leave.

            “My orders are final,” he firmly told his fuming son, and left the teen alone with Dagger.

            “ _Bastard_ ,” Silver snarled. “Of all the goddamn Elites…. How _dare_ he…just…just…” He paced back and forth, stammering in fury. “Rrraaargh!” He roared, slamming his fist into the doorframe with a loud thwock!

            “Silver?” Dagger took a step back, eyes wide. Silver might have been an angry youth, but he was never known to be outright violent and aggressive before. “What’s wrong with you?”

            “I’ll be at headquarters, preparing my Agents for our mission,” Silver snapped, ignoring Dag’s question. He stormed out of the room without another word.

            “What has gotten into that boy?” Dagger asked himself. “Not even his father was that…hostile at his age. It wasn’t until he…” Dag’s voice trailed off. “Dear Arceus, no!” The Lucario’s eyes widened in fear.

            “Please…spirits of those that have fallen in the name of this family…guide Silver’s heart.”

            The loud sound of a door slamming announced Silver’s departure from the house he’d grown up in.

            “Please,” Dagger prayed. “Give Silver the strength to save himself… _from_ himself.”

 

…

 

Silver tugged on the knot of his bandages. His left arm was now covered in a haphazard manner with white cloth bandages. He wasn’t an expert, but he had been tending to his own wounds–for the most part–for years now.

            He walked down the hall without any real destination. He’d just finished relaying the orders to the Grunts and his Agents. Now, he’d be happy to be able to go as long as possible without having to run into _her_.

            “Hey, ‘lil Boss!” A voice caused him to stop and turn sharply.

            “Meowth,” Silver sighed with relief. “And…Jessie and James, right?”

            “We were wondering…” James started nervously. “You see…”

            “Yes?” Silver sighed. “Speak up, already.”

            “You’re not gonna put us in wid da Grunts when we take off for Johto, are ya?” Meowth asked frankly.

            “What?” Silver raised an eyebrow. “Why would you ask that?”

            “Whenever we work with a larger group of Team members, the Rocket in charge always seems to forget about our skills as Agents and makes us do Grunt work,” Jessie said.

            _Skills,_ Silver narrowed his eyes. _If guzzling our funds like a traveler’s water skin in the desert is a_ skill.

            “Whatever you want,” Silver waved his hand, looking away in disinterest. “Fly with us in the Elite’s copter. Just stay out of my face during the flight.”

            “The Elite’s copter?” The trio chimed in happy unison. “In-flight movies! Luxury seating! Five-star cuisine!”

            Silver scoffed.

            “If you don’t lose your appetite just by looking at our…liaison Elite,” Silver scowled.

            “We’re working with another Elite?” Mondo joined the conversation as he approached the group. “Who? Archer? I thought he was busy.”

            “He is,” Silver turned to face him. “We’re working with _Domino_ ,” the last word was filled with malice.

            “Oh, boy,” Mondo muttered.

            “Domino?” James asked.

            “You mean…the Black Tulip?” Jessie blinked.

            “Wait,” Meowth turned to his partners. “Isn’t she dat girl from Mount Quena? Do ya tink she remembers us?”

            “No,” James shook his head. “Remember? That was taken care of by…”

            “James!” Jessie exclaimed. She turned to Silver with a nervous chuckle. “Ignore him, he sometimes babbles complete nonsense.”

            _You_ all _babble nonsense,_ Silver almost chuckled.

            “Mount Quena?” Silver asked. “That mission that my father and the bitch went on without explanation and suddenly returned with even _less_ answers, dragging a small army of Rockets back and forth with them? I guess I was right, after all. It _was_ his runaway pet weapon, wasn’t it? It finally wiped his memory?”

            “Uh…”

            “Well, too bad it couldn’t have given him a personality adjustment while it was messing around in his mind,” Silver sighed. “But, at least he won’t have that poor thing under his control anymore. It was alive, after all. Living things are not tools or weapons.”

            “Strange attitude for a Rocket,” a female voice sounded from behind Silver. “What are you talking about, anyway?”

            Silver didn’t even bother to look at her. He simply started to walk away without a word.

            _Dear God, can this get any_ worse?

            “Silver!”

            _Yes, apparently it can._

            “Go away,” Silver said in as level a tone as he could manage.

            “I have orders, too, you know.”

            “I doubt they involve you following me everywhere like a lost Poocheyna.”

            “Yes, forgive me for wanting to actually _plan ahead_ with my _partner_ so we can work _efficiently_ as a team.”

            “You’re _not_ my _partner_ ,” Silver kept walking.

            “According to the Boss-!” Domino started.

            “My father does _not_ get to decide who I call my _partner_ ,” Silver stopped at turned to glare at her. “You’re a liaison, _nothing more!_ ”

            “This is about more than the mission, isn’t it?” Domino narrowed her eyes.

            “Rrrgh…whatever!” Silver turned away again and continued to storm off.

            “Hey!” Domino ran after him.

            Silver tried to hide himself in a room and slam the door behind him, but Domino kept the door open with a well-timed, powerful roundhouse kick.

            “I’m not done!” She barked, entering after him.

            “ _I am!_ ” Silver retorted. “ _Leave me alone!_ ”

            “You _are_ alone!” Domino yelled. “You _chose_ to be alone! You _refuse_ to heal, to even open your eyes!”

            “What do you-!”

            “ _She’s not the only person who ever cared about you!_ ”

            “What?” Silver’s anger subsided into confusion.

            “Maybe if you paid attention to someone other than yourself, you’d know!” Domino exasperated. “For all your protests against your similarities, you are _just_ as blind as Giovanni!”

            “I am _nothing_ like-!” Silver started yelling again.

            “And you’re _just_ as _short-tempered!_ ”

            “I...!” Silver stammered. “I…I’m not…I….” He hung his head, scowling.

            _There’s nothing wrong with anger_ , the voice whispered. _It can give you strength if you know how to utilize your anger to its fullest potential._

            Silver shook his head.

            “If you paid one _iota_ of attention to the people around you, you’ll see that there are plenty of people who are concerned for your well-being!” Domino continued to berate him.

            “Like who?”

            “Mondo, for one. Maybe you forgot, but it’s because of Mondo that you’re even still alive!”

            Silver’s expression softened.

            _She…she has a point there._

            “He sees you as a brother, Silver. Mondo’s like me, an orphan who would have no place to go without the Team. He’s never known his family, either. All three of us were raised as Rockets, whether you accept that fact or not. Whereas I embraced Rocket life in an attempt to survive and thrive, Mondo bonded himself to other Grunts…and to you.”

            “I…I never…” Silver tried to form a thought.

            “Dagger’s been looking out for you since you were an infant as well,” Domino continued anyway. “And Giovanni, _yes_ , Silver, _your father_ …has always loved you.”

            “He’s _never_ even _cared_ about me,” Silver found his voice. “He’s _always_ put the Team above my health and happiness.”

            “He didn’t order her death, Silver,” Domino said softly. “I know you think otherwise but…Moonsbane acted on his own. That’s why Giovanni had him chased off, and has the entire Team ordered to kill him on sight should he return.”

            “I…I don’t…” Silver couldn’t believe that. “He’s power-hungry!”

            “That’s lessened since that night, Silver,” Domino sighed. “It’s an unfair exchange, that your heart was broken to restore his and…”

            “And what?” Silver growled.

            TSSSEEEW! A burst of red light came from one of the Pokéballs on Silver’s belt.

            “Tototototototototototo!” Fang gurgled happily upon releasing himself.

            “Fang!” Silver yelped. He looked at Domino.

            _She doesn’t know._

            “This…this isn’t what it looks like!”

            “What?” Domino smirked. “An Elite having a Pokémon that he captured or otherwise obtained on his own? Who am I to question it?”

            _That’s right, I’m an Elite now. I have that power. I have the right._

_Power…_ the word echoed in his mind.

            “R-right!” Silver stammered. “I knew that!”

            “Though, that just proves my point even more,” Domino continued. “You have a team of Pokémon, now, and they’d likely give their all for you, especially this little guy.”

            “…Why do you care?”

            “What?”

            “Why do you even give a damn about whether or not I have…people that care?”

            “…I was once just as cold as you feel right now,” Domino muttered. “I cared about only myself and power. Gaining it, using it, lording it over those beneath me. I had nothing without it. No family. No friends. Not even a kind feeling in my heart. Being a Rocket was my life, and I made it a dangerous game that I loved to play. I manipulated and fought and cheated my way up to status as an Elite. Becoming Giovanni’s successor as Boss just seemed natural to me; after all, you didn’t want it.”

            “But the Rocket Lordship is passed by blood-inheritance; it always lies with the Zolton Barony. In fact, the first Boss, my grandmother, earned the title of Baroness through manipulations of her own, creating the bloodline’s nobility in the first place.” Silver narrowed his eyes. “So, you decided to take the next best thing.”

            “I don’t want to just be the _wife_ of the next Boss,” Domino buried her face in her hand. “Our…situation was _not_ my idea, nor did I ever approve of it.”

            “But you accepted it!” Silver argued. “You knew it was controlling my life even more than it already was controlled, and you still accepted my father’s decision without question. You selfish…!”

            “I was just trying to make the best situation for myself from the cards I’d been dealt.”

            “It doesn’t change anything. She’s still dead. And you’re still the one benefiting from it.”

            “Yes, I’ve benefited,” Domino nodded. “But not because I’ve had competition eliminated. Seeing you broken from her death…and Mondo’s steadfast kinship to you despite your misplaced anger…and Giovanni…the look in his eyes at seeing you so…shattered…” Her voice faltered for a moment. “It taught me something.”

            “What?” Silver snarled. “That there’s more to life than being a Rocket? Please, could you be any _more_ clichéd?”

            “I wish she was alive.”

            “…What?” Silver blinked.

            “I know it’s against my policy of…manipulating the system…but I wish she’d survived that night.”

            “Why?” Silver asked.

            “Because she made you happy.”

            Silver stared. He couldn’t even focus on Fang, the little Totodile now perched on his shoulder and rubbing his face against his cheek.

            She…was heartless…wasn’t she? What happened?

            _Or, is she lying? Just manipulating me like she does everything else?_

_I don’t think I can trust her. Not then, not now, not ever._

            “That isn’t bandaged well,” Domino pointed to Silver’s arm. “Let me redo that.”

            “Don’t touch me,” Silver slid away from her automatically.

            “Silver, let me help you.”

            “I…I don’t need your help.”

            “No, no you don’t.”

            Silver looked at her skeptically.

            “But…you can still accept my help.”

            Silver continued to look at her, furrowing his brow.

            “I…I…”

            “I’m not going to poison your wound,” Domino assured him. “In fact, I can clean it for you.”

            Silver couldn’t decide how sincere she was. She was too good an actress to judge her true intentions; she’d fooled many a poor sap while undercover before.

            Yet….

            Yet, he couldn’t see any way that she could take advantage of his wounds to hurt him and help herself. As far as he could tell, she needed him alive to further herself in the Team.

            He looked away, exhaling deeply through gritted teeth. Fang made a concerned gurgling sound at his trainer’s frustration, but Silver did nothing to reassure him. Silver’s scowl deepened when he felt Domino’s hands on his arm, but he didn’t break away. He hissed slightly when the bandages brushed against the wound as she removed them

            _I must have done a worse job than usual…_

            _My wounds used to always be so well tended to. She…had a lot of practice, after all._

_If only she could have healed her_ own _wounds…_

            “Silver?” Domino asked suddenly, concern clear in her voice.

            “I’m tired of living in people’s shadows,” Silver said softly. “I’m tired of living in _the_ shadows. I've _always_ lived in _shadows_ , expected to be the _good little son_ of the _great Boss_ , Giovanni.” He added in an angry tone, before it leveled again. “One person believed I could be great on my own,” he looked at Domino, “that I could be _free_. And she's _gone_ ,” he looked down again.

            Silver looked up at the wall, glaring in determination at no one in particular.

            “But _I'm_ still here, and I _will_ prove her right.”


	17. Habituation

Gyles stumbled forward awkwardly, fumbling with the chunks of wood to no avail, as they dropped out of his grip and onto the ground and his feet.

            “Naaargh!” He cried out in pain. He cursed aggressively under his breath.

            “Gyles,” his Lucario sighed, gathering up some of the fallen wood while his trainer continued to swear bitterly in increasing volume. “Angry words won’t get the fire started.”

            “No use crying over spilt milk,” a deep voice caused them to both turn with a silenced start. “Or, that _is_ how the saying goes, yes?”

            Gyles stared into the red eyes of a large, rocky Pokémon.

            “Gah!” He yelled in shock, throwing what firewood he still had in his hands. He stumbled backward and fell onto his backside.

            “It’s true!” Gyles breathed. “Rhydon really _can_ evolve!”

            “Rhyperior!” The Lucario identified the Pokémon.

            “That’s right,” a female voice chuckled from behind the Rhyperior. “You guys haven’t met, have you?”

            “This ‘im, D?” The Rhyperior asked his trainer.

            “Delia?” Gyles stood up cautiously.

            “G, meet Crush,” the youthful Biker waved a hand between them. “Crush, this is Elite Gyles. The one with morals.”

            “A Rocket with morals?” Crush chuckled. “I thought you were the last one, before Top Elite Miyamoto chased you off.”

            “Do all of your Pokémon speak?” Gyles blinked.

            “Of course,” Delia placed a hand on Crush’s arm. “I taught each of my six Pokémon how to speak human language myself. And, every one of them has a name.”

            “Why?” Gyles looked at his Lucario, then back to Delia. “I mean, only _he_ can speak on my team, and we’re just…”

            “It puts us on equal ground,” Delia helped to gather the fallen firewood. “I have a name, after all. No one calls me ‘human,’ really. I’m just D…er, Delia. So, they have names, too. They are just as much of individuals with personalities as we are. And, they speak human, because then there’s no language barrier between us; we can always understand what the other is saying.”

            “I don’t under…”

            “Because,” Delia looked at him, “my Pokémon and I are _equals_.”

            “It’s not gonna be easy for ‘im,” Crush told his trainer as they carried the firewood back to their camp. “He’s been a Rocket for far longer than you. He’s likely been brainwashed for years.”

            “I’m not brainwashed!” Gyles retorted, dropping his pile of wood in the unlit campfire. “I’ve always known that the Team’s corrupt and cruel! I hate them!”

            “Then, why do you stay?” Delia asked.

            “I…” Gyles looked at his Lucario. The Pokémon glared briefly at Delia, before giving Gyles a curt nod.

            “I have no place else to go,” Gyles muttered. He knelt next to the fire and pulled out a dagger and a long, thin hunk of flint.

            “What are you doing?”

            “Starting the fire,” Gyles raised an eyebrow at her. “Just like I always do on wilderness missions.”

            “Cindy,” Delia sighed, tossing a Pokéball upward. “Start the fire wo’ja?”

            TSSSEW! The Charmeleon materialized in a burst of red light. With a smirk, she spat a burst of flame at the pile of firewood.

            “Gaah!” Gyles fell backwards again. “Watch where you’re breathing that stuff!”

            “Sorry, Jill,” Cindy sneered.

            “Play nice, Cin,” Delia gave her starter a light slap on the back of the head. “Gyles is going to be traveling with us for a while.”

            “I thought we were headin’ on your bike to the Keep,” Cindy looked at her trainer. “Our ol’ buddies there won’t be glad to know you’re bringing a Rocket with ya. Particularly not an Elite.”

            “I won’t betray them,” Gyles glared at the Charmeleon.

            “Crush took the bike to one of the nearby shelters for safekeeping,” Delia sighed. “We normally end up walking the last leg of the trip up the mountain by foot, anyway. We’ll just start that leg a day or two’s walking distance earlier.”

            “But, Jill’s an _Elite_ ,” Cindy emphasized. “She will not be happy to know that you’ve brought such a high ranked Rocket to one of the safest places on the planet from evil.”

            “And if we we’re ever seen by a _single_ Rocket with _you_ ,” the Lucario scowled, “then we would be charged with _fraternizing_ with a _deserter_. We would be guilty of _mutiny_ against _Rocket law_.”

            “The Boss would have us sentenced to death,” Gyles nodded to his companion. “Her decision would be absolute, and our punishment immediate.”

            “She wouldn’t kill you,” Delia scoffed. “You’re not just any Elite. You’ve had a higher rate of success than any three Elite Agents combined.”

            “Which is why Miyamoto was so pissed off when a _lowly Grunt_ busted you out of jail on that one occasion where you actually _failed_ ,” Cindy added.

            “Though, why you would bother with saving us at all, I’ll never understand,” the Lucario growled.

            “Yeah, it was a risky move on your part,” Gyles nodded. “If you’d been caught, you’d been arrested, too. And your success got you nothing in return…nothing but the wrath of Madame Boss and Top Elite Miyamoto. Why would you do that?”

            “Why indeed,” his companion narrowed his red eyes to thin slits.

            “Maybe because I’m a good person, and you looked absolutely pathetic in that cell,” Delia sat down near the fire, on the opposite side from Gyles. “And, despite your skills as a Rocket, you must be a good person, too.”

            “How can you be sure?”

            “You love your Pokémon.”

            “I’m not even sure I really know what love is,” Gyles fell to the ground, lying on his back and staring up through the mountain forest to the darkening sky.

            “If you’re such a great, caring person,” Lucario snarled at Delia, “then why did you join the Team in the first place?”

            “I was thirteen when I was enlisted,” Delia whispered. “I already had my full team, though not everyone was as evolved as now.”

            “Yes, Crush was still a Rhydon and Jewel was still an Eevee,” Cindy nodded, sitting in a cross-legged pose next to her trainer. “They would both evolve on a deployment to that snowy mountain in Sinnoh.”

            “That whole thing ended in disaster, otherwise,” Delia chuckled, zipping up her leather jacket and flipping her long, brown hair out of its way. “But, no. I’m still not entirely sure _why_ I enlisted. I guess…my parents were…having…problems.”

            Gyles leaned up slightly to look at her.

            “I remember feeling that they thought that their fight was more important than my journey, than my dependence on their support,” Delia continued. “I got pissed off, and got sick of being stuck in a rut, despite my skills as a trainer, and my team’s developing strengths. I wanted recognition, and my parents weren’t giving it to me.”

            “Normal people have marital strife?” Gyles blinked.

            “Have you _ever_ talked to a non-Rocket for more than three minutes?” Delia chuckled.

            Gyles blinked, and shook his head. Delia stared, unable to believe him.

            “Yes, people argue and fight and cheat on each other in the real world, too.”

            “So, your father cheated on your mother?” 

            “I’m not sure,” Delia shook her head. “I never got a straight answer. Even before I left on my journey, I would run away into the mountains as a child whenever they’d fight. It was rarer then, and they still tended to put me before their own problems. They were still _parents_ then. It was during such an escape into the mountains– _these_ mountains–that I found the Keep, and _her_.” 

            “Who?” Gyles sat up properly.

            “The Sage,” Delia said simply. “She became a mentor and a friend, someone to listen and heal the wounds whenever my parents weren’t available. I learned that Pokémon aren’t just some magical animals, they’re our equals, and are just as sentient and intelligent as we are, maybe even more so.”

            “So, you teach them to speak, and give them names.”

            “But, I was in Saffron when my mother told me she was leaving my father for good,” Delia glared into the fire. “My mother had the nerve to tell me of their divorce over the _phone_. I was too far away from the Keep to make the trip. I stormed around the city in a rage. And…the recruiter…well…he was in the right place at the wrong time in my life. He took advantage of my emotions, and before I knew what I was doing…well…I’d sold my soul to the devil.”

            “And, then about a year ago, we got chased off by Miyamoto,” Cindy chuckled. “Simply because we were giving dangerous ideas to the Boss’s kid, or some such garbage.”

            “Isn’t that considered to be a form of mutiny?” Gyles asked, narrowing his eyes.

            “Why would Miyamoto chase you off, when the Boss would’ve killed you herself?” Lucario asked.

            “I…I dunno,” Delia shrugged. “You’re the Elite. You tell me.”

            “Well…Miyamoto _has_ always been more reasonable than the Boss,” Gyles admitted. “Though she would never directly disobey Rocket law. Something’s definitely missing in that equation.”

            “In any case, I’ve spent the last year wandering through Kanto back in this general direction, spending weeks at a time in various Biker Gangs. Then, a few months ago, I made it to the mountains past Pewter, and traveled south down the range. I took my time and familiarized myself again to the surroundings of my childhood escapes. Which is where you come in.”

            “I…I see.”

            “What about you?”

            “Me?” Gyles blinked. “My parents never divorced. And my father couldn’t leave my mother or have an affair, even if he wanted to.”

            “She that controlling?” Delia asked.

            “You…you could say that,” Gyles said softly. “My mother is…the perfect, model member of Team Rocket. Everything she does is for either the advancement of the Team…or her own gain. Even…even me.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “My mother sold _my_ soul and my life to the Team…before I was even born. And my father…my father _should_ want nothing to do with me. It would be perfectly understandable if he detested the very _sight_ of me.”

            “Why?”

            “I…I’m…he…uh…” Gyles stammered, looking away. “I…can’t.”

            “No rush…” Delia said in a calm, low tone. “If you’re still uncomfortable talking about it, I can respect a need to be private.”

            “Though, the Sage will not let you in the Keep, or even near it, until you prove your worth, _Rocket_ ,” Cindy grimaced.

            “Who said we need to prove ourselves to _you_?” Gyles’s Lucario companion snarled back.

            “Shut up, man,” Gyles shot a dark look to his friend, running his hand through his black hair in frustration. “That’s enough fighting from you for one night. Go to bed.”

            “Yes, sir,” the Lucario gave Gyles a curt nod, before leaping up into a nearby tree and slouching on a branch against the trunk.

            “He is obedient, I’ll give you that,” Delia said.

            “I’m going to bed, too,” Gyles said flatly.

            “Don’t you have a sleeping bag?”

            “Do you?”      

            “No,” Delia blinked, before chuckling. “I guess I always preferred to just sleep in the open while in these mountains.”

            “I don’t like sleeping bags or tents,” Gyles sat himself leaning against a tree near the fire. “They’re too…confining. I prefer to sleep…free.”

            Delia said nothing, recalling Cindy as Gyles closed his eyes without another word.

            _Good night, then_ , she thought. _I guess._

            She looked at Gyles through the flames.

            He looked calm, but then, he always did. Despite his reputation in the Team, Gyles had always come across to her as a calm, gentle individual, at least for a Rocket. But, now…now he looked so…pained. He always seemed to be a sturdy, strong person and a powerful trainer. But, here in the mountain forest, alone with her, he was almost…vulnerable. There was a weakness and a sorrow to him.

            And it intrigued her.

            _He really_ is _human_ , she thought. _I was right to realize that he has a heart, even if he doesn’t understand what that means._

            _She_ did _tell me that our salvation would likely come from a warrior born in the darkest hell._

            _Did she mean that_ Gyles _would be the one to lead the battle–_ our _battle–that will bring down Team Rocket once and for all?_

            She looked up into the tree where the male Lucario glared down at her. Delia gave him a nod, and he looked away, closing his eyes as well.

            _Either way, Gyles will not be the same when this is over. Either he’ll leave the Team, forever, or…._

_Or Hikari will judge his heart as still being…too evil to be able to leave the Keep._

 

…

 

Aura rubbed her forehead, as she stumbled awkwardly across the room to the others.

            “Still disorientated?” Nyx asked.

            “Fine,” Aura grumbled, holding onto the nearby table for support.

            “If your Lucario isn’t feeling well,” Nurse Joy approached Misty, the latter sitting in the booth at the table, “then I can give her treatment for her nausea.”

            “It’s alright,” Misty dismissed her with a nod.

            “We just got off a flight,” Aura added. “I just need to readjust to having solid ground beneath my paws again.”

            Nurse Joy blinked at Aura’s words.

            “Why don’t you let her give you a basic treatment?” Ash asked, sitting across the table from Misty. “I mean, we’re already waiting on our Pokémon as it is.”

            “I’m not going into a Pokéball,” Aura said firmly. “I’ve stayed out of them since the day I hatched. I’m not changing now.”

            “You don’t have to go into a Pokéball,” Nurse Joy smiled again.

            “Pikachu never does,” Ash chuckled.

            _And for good reason_ , Aura scowled. _Such a minor victory for all of our group’s sacrifices and losses. So many lives lost, so that such a powerful Pokémon could end up in the hands of the precious_ Chosen One.

            _Such irony._

            “No,” Aura repeated. She tried to storm off in a huff, but lost her balance and fell forward. She broke her fall with her arms, clenching her teeth to keep from yelling out.

            “C’mon!” She felt hands pull her up onto her feet. Aura looked up at Misty’s aggravated expression as the human teen continued. “You could have caught something on that flight. You _did_ live alone in the Kanto wilderness for years, after all. You’re probably underexposed to common diseases, and the last thing we need is to have to nurse you on the road. Go with Nurse Joy.”

            “Yes, _Mom_ ,” Aura sighed, rolling her eyes in distaste.

            “Come, now. I promise it won’t hurt,” Nurse Joy helped Aura walk into the back rooms.

            “She has a point,” Ash smirked at Misty. “You _have_ kind of acted like her mother the past couple days.”

            “ _Someone_ has to,” Misty scowled at him. “She’s having trouble adjusting, Ash. She clearly needs help with accepting the changes in her life.”

            “You just think her maternal instincts are cute,” Nyx smirked under his breath.

            “What?” Ash looked at the Shiny Umbreon seated next to him.

            “Nothing,” Nyx grinned innocently.

            “Can I come ou’ now?” Jerzy peeked his head out from Ash’s half-unzipped backpack.

            “No,” he instantly pushed him back.

            “I just wish I knew what was going on in her head, sometimes,” Misty sat back down with a sigh.

            “Probably insanity,” Ash smirked.

            _Though…I wonder…_

_Aura…_

            “Ash?” Misty’s voice broke through his thoughts.

            “What?” Ash blinked.

            “You okay?” She raised an eyebrow. “You had a strange look on your face.”

            “I was just…thinking,” he shrugged.

            “So _that’s_ what that strange burning smell was.”

            “Shut up.”

            “Nice comeback,” Misty chuckled.

            “So,” Nyx cut in, changing the subject. “What Pokémon did you request from Professor Oak for the Poison Temple?”

            “Huh?” Ash blinked at him. “Oh, um, I kept Pikachu and Pidgeot, of course.”

            “Of course, we never thought you’d ever choose separation from Pikachu,” Misty smiled.

            “Pidgeot’s a good staple, too,” Nyx nodded. “A bird with the strength to carry you away from danger at a moment’s notice. That’s always a good out to have handy.”

            “Except that it’ll only work for Ash and Pikachu,” Misty said. “You, Aura, and I would be stranded and left to face whatever danger we were in.”

            “You think I’d leave you and escape myself?” Ash stared. “You’ve been hanging around Aura _too much_. I’d _definitely_ have him carry you to safety before me.”

            “Chivalry for the lady?” Nyx grinned.

            “What?” Ash blinked.

            “Playin’ da hero’ll only gecha killed, boy,” Jerzy’s nose peeped out from the top of Ash’s pack again.

            “Shut up,” Ash retorted. “It’s not playing hero, it’s being a decent person and a good friend. Something a selfish _thief_ like you would never understand.”

            “Don’t bother with him Ash,” Nyx shook his head. “Please, do go on.”

            “Hmm?” Ash tried to remember their topic. “Oh. Yeah. I also had him send Muk and Donphan.”

            “A Poison type for the Poison Temple,” Nyx nodded brightly. “Fitting. And Donphan’s type advantage of Ground over Poison could come in very handy, too.”

            “Are you actually learning to plan ahead and strategize with Element types?” Misty smiled. “Finally going against intentional disadvantages and using insane battle strategies? Wow, I leave for a few years, and you suddenly learn to _think_.”

            “Shut up,” Ash muttered again, shooting her a dirty look.

            “Your vocabulary’s as developed as ever,” she chuckled.

            “And the final two?” Nyx asked cautiously.

            “NAAAAAAGGGARRGH!” A yelp from one of the back rooms made them all jump.

            “Um,” Ash stammered. “Sceptile and Bayleef.”

            “What,” Misty gaped. “Ash, they’re pure Grass types. Grass is weak against Poison. You’re still playing the disadvantage-on-purpose card after all,” she added with a sigh.

            “Hey, I have a gut instinct on this one,” Ash insisted. “Something is telling me that they’ll come in handy.”

            “If you say so, Ash,” Misty chuckled.

            “Hey,” Nyx spoke up. “Ash could have a legitimate point here. The legends _do_ say that the Chosen One will have some minor clairvoyance to what he’ll need to prepare for.”

            “Fairy tales!” Jerzy’s voice sounded again.

            “Shut it!” Ash reached in his pack, and grabbed a hold of Jerzy, forcing his mouth shut. “Please, stop talking.”         

            “If he’s so clairvoyant,” Misty smirked, “then, why didn’t he foresee _this_?”

            “What?” Ash asked, just before a loud, nearby _slam_ caused him to jump.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu leapt from the Pokéball tray onto his trainer’s shoulder.

            “Here,” Aura growled, handing the top tray of five Pokéballs to Ash, and the bottom tray of six to Misty.

            “That was fast,” Ash blinked.

            “Never tell a medical practitioner that I’m underexposed for _anything_ , _ever_ again.”

            And Aura stormed off to return the now empty trays back to Nurse Joy.

            “Vaccinations,” Misty chuckled again. “I should’ve warned her.”

            “If she develops a fear of needles, now, I blame you,” Ash narrowed his eyes at her.

            “At least _that_ would be rational.”

            “Aura can’t be rational _ever_.”

            “What about me?” Aura returned to the group, rubbing her left arm gingerly.

            “Don’t do that,” Misty ignored the question. “You’ll mess up the bandages.”

            “I’m sick of bandages. I’m sick of being a punching bag on this quest.”

            “It hasn’t been _that_ bad,” Ash scoffed.

            “Let’s see,” Aura sat down next to Misty. “I’ve been poisoned, had my ankle sprained by a fall that–by rights–should have _killed_ me, been beaten to unconsciousness several times, and tossed overboard into the sea where I nearly drowned.”

            “Could be worse,” Misty reminded her.

            “Let’s not tempt fate,” Aura scowled. “I’m just talking about the past several weeks…er, couple months…here.”

            _Has it been that long already?_ Five minds thought in unison.

            “ _You said you were dying once, during the storm,_ ” Pikachu brought up. “ _What did you mean by that_?”

            “I…” Aura stammered.

            “What?” Misty looked at the Electric Pokémon.

            “I didn’t catch that, buddy,” Ash added.

            “That’s a good question,” Nyx apparently had. “Aura?”

            “I…I just…” she stammered, staring at the Shiny Umbreon.

            “Aura?”

            The Lucario stood up and started to walk away.

            “I think we should get going. According to the map, Pastoria’s at least a day’s walk or two from Sunyshore. I’d like to stop burning daylight.”

            “I wish she wouldn’t lock everything away from us,” Misty sighed, standing up and walking after her.

            “I know,” Ash sighed, putting on his pack as he and Nyx followed suite.

            “I wish she wou’ stop talkin’…” Jerzy’s voice sounded from the pack, gaining a strange look from a nearby trainer and his Arcanine.

            “I wish _you’d_ stop talking,” Ash muttered.

            _Aura’s mind…her past…her heart…they’re locked away…_

_If Aura is the lock…maybe…Aura is the key…._

 

…

 

“Nrrrgh!”

            Aura slammed her fist in a straight punch into a large, jagged boulder. Ice crystals formed near the impact point, but began to melt away almost instantly.

            “Nrraaaargh!” Aura roared again, punching harder, the fur on her paw chilled from the power of the Ice Punch. “C’mon!” She barked. “Why?”

            _Why can’t I use my full power anymore?_

            “C’mon!” She yelled again, twirling herself around in a roundhouse kick, her foot making contact with a _thumsh_! She inspected the impact point to find the slight scorch mark.

            _Not even a Blaze Kick!_ Aura snarled in frustration. She slammed her foot against the boulder again, a small fire exploding from the impact.

            _Finally! Some progress!_

            Aura exhaled deeply.

            “Aura?” A voice cut through her thoughts.

            The Lucario looked over her shoulder to see Misty approaching from where the others had stopped and made camp for the evening.

            “You okay?” The redhead asked cautiously.

            Aura looked back at the boulder. She struck it with a successful Cross Chop, causing the boulder to split into several chunks and fall apart.

            “Fine,” Aura said in a disinterested tone.

            “What…are you doing?” Misty pressed gently.

            “Practicing,” Aura sighed. “Some of my…lesser-used Attacks are a bit…rusty.”

            “Maybe you’re trying too hard,” Misty suggested.

            “When’s dinner going to be ready?” Aura changed the subject abruptly.

            _And, which one of you is cooking it?_ She added in silent disgust. _Ash’s food is generally tasteless, and I wish_ yours _was._

            “Not sure. Soon, I hope. Assuming Nyx and Jerzy can agree on how to cook a simple stew.”

            “Nyx is cooking?” Aura glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

            “Well, he’s telling Ash what to do,” Misty admitted. “But, basically, yeah. Which is better than eating Ash’s food again,” she chuckled.

            “I have to agree with you there,” Aura smiled slightly.

            “If you like, we can have a practice battle,” Misty reversed their conversation. “So you can improve…again.”

            “I-I…” Aura stammered. “If you want,” she eventually shrugged. “I don’t care.”

            “C’mon! Politoed!” Misty sent out the frog Pokémon.

            “Politoed! Poli Politoed!” He jumped up and down happily.

            “Should be a nice, even matchup, huh?” Misty smiled.

            “Whatever,” Aura shrugged. 

            “You can have the first move.”

            “…Okay, then,” Aura hesitated. She threw an Ice Punch at the frog Pokémon.

            “Poli!” Politoed rolled with the blow, and jumped backwards, clapping his hands.

            “Wha?” Aura blinked, before jumping forward with a Low Kick.

            “Dodge!” Misty ordered.

            Politoed hopped out of the way, and Aura crashed into the ground from the momentum.

            “Nngh!” She groaned before getting back on her feet. She charged Politoed, slamming into him, pushing him back with great force.

            _Strength. A Hidden Machine attack._

_Someone definitely helped her train, somehow,_ Misty thought quickly.

            “Water Gun! Get her off you!”

            “Poli!” A burst of water expelled from the frog Pokémon’s mouth, and hit Aura in the face. The Lucario ceased her attack and stumbled backwards, shaking water from her pelt.

            _If she knows a Hidden Attack_ , Misty grimaced, _then she not only knew a human, but a wealthy one._

_Which might explain how she knows so much about our politics and…and the involvements of Team Rocket in them._

            “Use Body Slam!”

            “Poli!” Politoed slammed into Aura, who fell onto the ground.

            “Mega Punch!”

            Before the attack could make contact, Aura opened her mouth and let out a deafening, metallic shriek. Politoed stopped and grabbed his head, hopping back and forth while muttering in pain.

            _Metal Sound_ , Misty recognized the move, as she clenched her own ears.

            _Politoed is a Water-Type_ , Aura stood up. _Maybe…_

            She clenched her paw into a fist, willing the surge of electricity to crackle in her fur. She moved to attack Politoed with her punch.

            TSSSSEW! A stream of red light came from Misty’s pack, materializing right in front of Aura.

            “Psy?” The yellow duck Pokémon gazed up at Aura in confusion.

            “Psyduck!” Misty yelled in frustration.

            Aura tried futilely to pull back, instead stumbling awkwardly forward. Her Thunderpunch made contact with the duck Pokémon’s bill. The Lucario felt the electricity course through Psyduck’s body.

            Aura steadied herself, watching Psyduck as he held his head. He blinked at her.

            “Duck?”

            “You didn’t feel that?” Aura gaped at him.

            “Psyduck’s a little…” Misty started nervously.

            Psyduck suddenly tensed, before dashing around the clearing like a mad man.

            “Psy-y-y-y-y-y-y-y!” It yelled in pain.

            “Delayed,” Aura finished Misty’s sentence in a flat tone.

            “Psyduck!” Misty called out to the frantic Pokémon. “Please…calm down.”

            The duck Pokémon still ran around, screaming frantically.

            Aura sighed, and closed her eyes.

            _Maybe…if I can tap into my namesake…_

            Aura tried to relax her mind, tried to see the blue pulsations of the auras around her in her mind’s eye.

            “Is something wrong?” A male voice Aura was unfamiliar with broke her concentration.

            A young teenager–probably around fourteen or so–with green hair stood in the clearing nearby. He wore a purple jacket over a black shirt and light teal pants. A Roserade stood next to him, its head tilted slightly in interest.

            “Who are you?” Aura glared at him. _And why did you have to appear_ now?

            “I’m…” He started.

            “Misty!” Nyx ran up from the other direction. Ash wasn’t far behind.

            “We heard yelling, and… _Drew?_ ” Ash noticed the newcomer.

            “Ash!”

 

…

 

“So, you’re the Coordinator who won the last Johto Grand Festival?” Misty asked.

            “Hmm?” Drew hummed through a mouthful of stew. “Uh, yeah.” He responded.

            “I saw that!” Ash didn’t bother to swallow before speaking. “You and May battled in the Finals! Wasn’t it really close? Didn’t you win by, like three points or something at the time limit?”

            “…Yeah.”

            “It was awesome!” Ash insisted.

            “If you’re a Top Coordinator now,” Aura was staring into the fire the group sat around, swirling her stew with her spoon, “then why are you competing in Sinnoh?”

            “Aura!” Misty looked at her. “Even champions still have a lot to learn and improve on.”

            “No, it’s alright.” Drew held up a hand. “I had actually considered sitting this year out, actually.”

            “Why?” Ash asked.

            “Why are you sitting out from a League this year?” Drew countered.

            “That’s…a long story.”

            “It’s complicated,” Misty added.

            The crackling of the fire drowned out all thought for a few moments.

            “Have you seen May recently?” Ash eventually asked.

            “May?” Drew blinked. “N-no. I saw her contest in Solaceon on TV, but no. I…we are going to meet up in Hearthome…f-for the next contest…though.”

            Misty smirked.

            “I see.”

            “So, you’re heading through Pastoria, then?” Ash didn’t notice Misty’s knowing smile.

            “Yeah, I’m gonna catch a new Pokémon or two in the Marsh. I have some ideas for new combinations. Might try for a Croagunk or…”

            “Psy!” Psyduck interrupted in a loud voice. The Water Pokémon stood right in front of Aura, and stared at her intently. “Duck!”

            “What do you want?” The Lucario growled.

            “Duck! Psyduck!” His eyes became as large as a Miltank’s.

            “No, you may not,” Aura scowled. “Go mooch off of Misty or Nyx.”

            “Psyduck!” Psyduck suddenly attempted to snuggle against Aura.

            “Mwah!” Aura struggled to keep from spilling her bowl of stew while fighting to get the duck Pokémon off of her.

            “Psy!”

            “Psyduck!” Misty stood up. “Leave Aura alone and eat your own dinner!” She scolded firmly.

            “Psy! Psyduck!”

            “No!”

            “Psy…” Psyduck sulked off.

            “Well…he’s at least a _bit_ more obedient, now,” Ash chuckled nervously.

            “If I could just get him to swim without a floatation ring…” Misty sighed. “Maybe I could train him for Gym battles.”

            “You said you’re the Cerulean Gym leader?” Drew asked.

            “Yeah, but my eldest sister and…her boyfriend are watching it while I take a break to travel with Ash.”

            “So, they _are_ official, then?” Ash mumbled through another mouthful of stew.

            “Yes, Ash. I told you that a while ago. Pay attention.”

            “No, you didn’t. And, I _do_.”

            “I told you at least three times, Ash. You just don’t listen. If it’s not about Training, then it’s not important.”

            “Yeah, well, at least I…” Ash started his retort.

            “Have they always been like this?” Drew muttered, leaning over towards Aura and Nyx while Ash and Misty continued their argument.

            “I wouldn’t know,” Aura returned her attention on eating.

            “ _More or less,_ ” Pikachu answered with a sharp nod. “ _They have their moments. That’s for sure_.”

            “What they have is hormones,” Aura grumbled to herself.

            “What was that?” Nyx asked innocently.

            “I’m going to bed,” Aura sighed, tossing her bowl in the empty pot on the ground nearby. She lumbered off, mumbling to herself.

            Ash and Misty ceased their bickering, and blinked as Aura vanished into the darkness surrounding their camp.

            “Has she always been like that?” Drew asked them.

            “Pretty much,” Ash frowned.

            “She used to be a lot worse,” Misty reminded him. “We’ve made a lot of progress.”

            “She’s still as cranky as a…” Ash started.

            “So, you’re headed through Pastoria?” Nyx asked Drew. “That is what you said, right?”

            “Yeah,” Drew blinked at the Shiny Umbreon.

            “Maybe we should travel there together,” Nyx offered. “You know, since we’re all headed there, anyway.”

            “…Sure, I guess. I mean, if you guys don’t…mind.” Drew shrugged. “I’m perfectly fine on my own, if…”

            “I don’t have a problem with it,” Misty nodded.

            “Sounds good to me,” Ash smiled.

            “Do I have ah say en-?” Jerzy’s voice sounded from Ash’s pack.

            “No,” Ash responded automatically.

            “What…was that?” Drew asked.

            “Long story.”

            “It’s complicated.”

            “Guys…I think I can give him…a brief explanation of what’s going on,” Nyx said cautiously. _A_ very _abridged recap, of course_.

            “If you want,” Misty shrugged.

            “I don’t care, either way,” Drew shrugged.

            “At the very least, you won’t be confused as to our…situation,” Nyx smiled. “I guess I could start with what little we know about Aura….”

 

…

 

Ash stumbled forward, muttering groggily.

            “Hey!” Aura snapped at him as he bumped into her again. “Watch where you’re going, dolt!”

            “Wha?” Ash blinked at her.

            “Wake up!” The Lucario exasperated, grabbing the teen by his shoulders.

            “Is he going to sleepwalk the entire way to Pastoria?” Drew asked Misty, as they walked behind them. Nyx trotted cheerfully on the other side of Misty from Drew.

            “Possibly,” Misty sighed. “He normally is more alert by now, but it happens sometimes.”

            “I…I didn’t…sl…sleep well…last night,” Ash yawned.

            “Did the mighty _Chosen One_ have a scary nightmare?” Aura growled low enough that only he could hear.

            “No,” Ash grumbled at her. “I was…trying…something…”

            _I was trying to reach your mind with Aura. The power that I have._

_Great. Now I’m confusing myself._

_Who the hell named you? A ten-year-old has more originality than that._

            “You should have tried sleeping.”

            _I wanted to, but your mind wouldn’t budge. It’s like you’ve built an iron wall around your mind, even while asleep. I spent_ hours _and…nothing…_

            Ash yawned and tripped over a rock, tumbling forward. He crashed into Aura, knocking them both onto the ground.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu gasped.

            “Aura!” Misty ran up to them.

            “Are you guys okay?” Nyx and Drew followed her.

            “I’m fine,” Aura scowled as she accepted Misty’s help onto her feet.

            “Yeah, no…I’m fine…don’t help me,” Ash grumbled as he stumbled around by himself, while Misty helped Aura. Eventually, Nyx managed to use his head to give Ash something to balance on as he returned to his feet.

            “Wake up, Ash!” Aura snarled at him. “I don’t relish the idea of dying from you crushing me.”

            “Are…you calling me…fat?” Ash blinked slowly.

            “ _Wake up!_ ” Aura repeated.

            “Don’t waste your time,” Misty chuckled. “The only things that will completely wake him from one of these stupors are food and Pokémon battling.”

            “Did someone say ‘Pokémon battle?’” Ash asked excitedly, suddenly wide awake and looking around at the others expectantly.

            Aura sighed.

            “A battle sounds great!” Ash continued.

            “I wouldn’t mind a little practice,” Drew shrugged. “I have that Contest to prepare for, after all.”

            “I think we can spare twenty minutes for a break,” Misty nodded. “What about you?”

            “Sure, I believe I’d enjoy watching Ash train with someone other than us for once,” Nyx grinned.

            “But,” Aura started.

            “I tink…” Jerzy’s voice mumbled from the Lucario’s pack.

            “No.” Aura slapped the pack on her back with her paw.

            “What…was…?” Drew started, giving the Lucario a look.

            “Don’t ask.”

            Drew blinked at her.

            “C’mon!” Ash said. “Are we gonna battle or what?”

            “Sure,” Drew closed his eyes in a smirk.

            “Who’s going to ref the battle?” Nyx asked.

            “I guess I could,” Misty offered. “I’ve been a Gym Leader for a few years, after all.”

            Aura wordlessly took Misty’s pack for her, and stalked off towards a lone tree, while Ash, Drew, and Misty selected a section of the grasslands by the road for the battlefield and took their places.

            “So, a two-per single battle sound good?” Drew offered.

            “Sounds great!” Ash grinned. “Pikachu, you ready, buddy?”

            “Pika!” Pikachu leapt off of his Trainer’s shoulder and onto their side of the field. “Pikachu!”

            “I’ll start with,” Drew started, selecting and tossing out a Pokéball, “Absol!”

            “Absol!” The Dark-type Pokémon materialized with a roar.

            “Aura, are you gonna come watch this?” Nyx turned back towards the Lucario.

            “Whatever,” Aura shrugged, not moving from where she stood against the tree.

            “This match is between Pikachu and Absol,” Misty tried to remember the proper way to officiate a battle. “There is no time limit. Begin the match.”

            “You can have the first move,” Drew waved a hand politely.

            “Thanks,” Ash smirked. “Quick Attack!”

            “Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi!” Pikachu sped towards the Absol, dashing from side to side as the distance closed.

            “Flash!” Drew countered.

            “Sol!” Absol’s horn glowed with a bright light that filled the field.

            “Kaaa!” Pikachu skidded to a halt just in front of the Absol, eyes slammed shut.

            “Nnngh!” Ash clenched his own eyes shut from the light.

            Drew smirked.

            “Absol-!” He started.

            “Double-Edge!” Ash interrupted, blinking wildly as the light faded.

            “Kachu!” Pikachu flung himself into Absol.

            “Sol!” It growled in pain.

            “Pi…ka…” Pikachu was knocked back in recoil.

            “Bite!” Drew yelled.

            “Ab!” Absol took the recovering Pikachu’s tail in its mouth.

            “Ka!”

            “Headbutt!” Drew added before Ash could react.

            “Sol!” Absol let go, just to bash its head against the Electric mouse.

            “Chu!” Pikachu was knocked upward. He twisted his body and managed to land on all fours with a soft thud.

            _Come on!_

            “Pikachu!” Ash tried to get back in the game. “Agility!”

            “Chu! Chu! Chu!” Pikachu dashed around the field, vanishing for short bursts from sight.             “Sol?” Absol turned sharply several times, trying to keep its back unexposed.

            “Jump and use Thunder!” Ash shouted. “Full power!”

            “Pikaaaaaaaa,” Pikachu leapt high above Absol as he charged his cheeks.

            “Absol! Razor Wind!” Drew tried to counter in time.

            “Chuuuuuuuuu!” Pikachu let out a huge burst of electricity before Absol could comply.

            “Sol!” It roared in agony. It struggled with the lingering shocks as Pikachu landed with a few heavy breaths.

            _I’ve let myself get out of practice,_ Ash scolded himself. _Drew’s not a Top Coordinator for nothing, but I’ve got more experience…and we’re at a higher level._

_I’m_ better _than this._

            Aura walked towards the field, her head tilted slightly.

            _This little guy’s got a lot of strength,_ her father’s voice echoed in her mind. _They did this to him. They forced him to unlock his potential before he was ready. He’s nothing more than a weapon to them._

            _Like you?_ Aura’s eyes widened slightly at her own words.

            _Yes…and no._

            _Come on, Chosen One,_ she forced herself to the present. _Show me that you’re worthy of even_ this _power. Give me a reason to follow you._

_Give me a reason to…._

            “Sol!”  Absol unleashed a sharp wave of wind from its horn.

            Pikachu was knocked back a few feet from the Razor Wind, but didn’t seem to be more worn down than before it.

            “A Flying Attack on an Electric Pokémon?” Ash smirked.

            “Looks like he’s taken a leaf from Ash’s book,” Nyx chuckled.

            “Iron Tail!” Ash clenched one hand into a fist.

            “Block it with your Iron Tail!” Drew said quickly.

            “Chuuu Pika!” Pikachu swung his glowing tail around at Absol.

            “Aaaaab Sol!” Absol swung its tail as well.

            Clank! The two Attacks made contact with each other and canceled each other out. The two Pokémon landed on the field right next to each other.

            “Night Slash!” Drew shouted rapidly.

            “Sol!” Absol slashed Pikachu in his side, knocking him back a few feet again.

            “Quick Attack!” Ash yelled.

            “Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi!” Pikachu dashed around and at Absol.

            “Detect!” Drew reacted.

            “Ab!” Absol’s eyes and horn glowed purple.

            “Pi!” Pikachu tried to complete his attack, only to be knocked back by a purple force field.

            “Come _on!_ ” Aura clenched her paws.

            “Aura!” Nyx turned sharply to face her. “Where…when…how long have you been standing there?”

            Aura didn’t hear him.

            _Come on_ , she repeated silently. _Fight! You can take him down now! Do it!_

            “Razor Wind!”

            “Agility!” Ash reacted. “Dodge it!”

            “Sol!”

            “Chu! Chu! Chu!” Pikachu easily dashed out of the way in time.

            _I have to end this, fast,_ Ash grimaced. _Pikachu’s tired. We’re both out of shape._

_We’ll both have to up our training schedule after this. Our quest is no excuse. I’m a Trainer, and he’s my best Pokémon. We’re both better than this._

            “End it!” Ash yelled. “Volt Tackle!”

            “Pika! Pika! Pika!” Pikachu charged at the Absol, electricity surging visibly from his little body. “Pi- _ka!_ ” He made contact in a flash of blinding lightning. 

            “Sol!” Absol roared.

            Pikachu landed, as the attack faded.

            They stood, panting and staring each other in the eye.

            “Pi…ka….” Pikachu nodded.

            “Sol.” Absol nodded, before it fell in an exhausted heap.

            “Absol in unable to battle,” Misty raised a hand towards Ash. “Pikachu wins.”

            _Barely,_ Ash looked at Pikachu. _He’s not in much better shape than Absol. That’s my fault. I’ll have to get back in the game again._

_Either way, he can’t fight anymore._

            “Pikachu,” Ash said softly. “Come back. You’ve done more than enough.”

            “Ka!” Pikachu ran up to his Trainer. Ash knelt next to him.

            “You did great, buddy,” Ash scratched the top of Pikachu’s head. “You deserve a nice long rest.”

            “Your Pikachu’s gotten stronger, Ash,” Drew said calmly as he recalled Absol, eyes closed. “But, he’s not the only one,” he opened his eyes in determination, as he threw another Pokéball.

            “Roserade!” The Grass-type Pokémon slashed the air with its roses in a battle cry.

            _I’ll have to fight smarter,_ Ash scowled as his mind raced. _Pidgeot would be a good match…_

            He looked to the side of the field, his eyes making contact with a pair of red ones. Aura’s face, her fists, her stance all showed a fierce determination. Ash smiled.

            “Aura.”

            “What?” She dropped the packs in shock. “What are you doing?”

            “Fight with me.”

            Misty turned to gape at him.

            _Aura will_ not _take orders from you,_ she blinked. _Not even in battle. Especially not in battle._

            “Why do you think I would do that?”

            “Because you want to fight. Because you want to show us that you’re strong.”

            _Because you want to prove it to yourself,_ Aura heard a soft voice in her mind. It wasn’t Ash’s, but its truth jolted through her as if it had been.

            “You’re not my Trainer,” Aura reminded him. “I don’t have a Trainer. Never have. Never will.”

            “I know,” Ash nodded. He turned to Drew, who had been glancing back and forth between them. “If you don’t mind.”

            “I don’t care,” he shrugged. “It’ll only put you at a disadvantage.”

            _Just until I get her into the flow of battle,_ Ash refrained from a chuckle _. Just until I get her calmed down enough to trust me._

            “Fine!” Aura took to Ash’s side of the field and faced Roserade. “Just don’t expect me to listen mindlessly.”

            _Which,_ Ash added to himself, _will not be easy, apparently._

            “Uh…” Misty looked back and forth. “This match will be between Aura…Lucario and Roserade. There is no time limit. Begin.”

            “Whenever you’re ready,” Ash smirked.

            “Hrm,” Aura tensed in a battle stance.

            “Gladly,” Drew smirked in return. “Double Team!”

            “Rose! Rose! Rose!” Roserade circled Aura with illusionary copies of itself.

            “Wha?” She turned around rapidly.

            “Aura!” Ash yelled. “Calm down! You know which one is real!”

            “I…”

            _I know how to find out_ , she looked Ash in the eye.

            He nodded, and shut his own ears with his fingers.

            “What?” Drew blinked.

            Aura turned back, and let out a high-pitched, metallic shriek.

            _Metal Sound,_ Ash recognized it, muffled as it sounded to his closed ears.  

            The others on and around the field moaned and turned away in pain from the sound.

            “Wat is dat awfu’ wail?” Jerzy poked his head out of Aura’s pack next to Nyx.

            “Rrrrooooose!” Roserade’s copies faded until only the real one remained.

            “Force Palm!” Ash yelled.

            Aura stopped the Metal Sound to slam her palm against Roserade’s forehead in the Attack.

            “Magical Leaf!” Drew shook his head in recovery from the shriek. 

            “Rose!” Roserade shot out glowing leaves that blasted into Aura at point-blank.

            “Hrmm,” Aura groaned slightly, but otherwise brushed it off.

            _I was right,_ Ash grinned. _Lucario are part-Steel. So, her defense gives her an advantage against Roserade’s Grass-type Attacks._

            “Ash just might have the advantage after all,” Nyx breathed.

            _Not if he doesn’t gain Aura’s trust,_ Misty thought to herself. _They won’t be able to unlock her true potential in battle unless they have complete trust in each other._

_I don’t think that’s something that’s going to happen today. At least, not easily._

            “Quick Attack!” Ash barked.

            Aura glared at him, before dashing towards the retreating Roserade.

            “Stun Spore!”

            “Rose!”

            Aura took the full blast of the orange powder in close range. She stopped in her tracks, and knelt in pain.

            _I…I can’t move…_

            “Mega Drain!”

            “Nrrngh!” Aura felt her energy being sucked away slowly.

            “Aura!” Ash yelled. “Stand up! ExtremeSpeed!”

            “Rrargh!” Aura tried to throw herself in the rapid attack, but stumbled forward into the ground again instead.

            _She’s Paralyzed,_ Ash grimaced. _I have to think of something else! What Attacks can Lucario use? Think!_

            “Seed Bomb!” Drew yelled.

            “Rade!”

            “Nnngh!” Aura groaned as the bursts exploded against her pelt.

            _I have to get the Spore off her…_

_That might work!_

            “Dragon Pulse!”

            _Dragon…Pulse?_

            Aura suddenly let a burst of what appeared to be purple fire out of her mouth, incinerating the rest of the Seed Bomb harmlessly. She then expelled the rest of the Pulse downward, its energy engulfing her.

            When the Attack dissipated, Aura was standing again.

            _It worked,_ Ash smiled. _I’ll have to remember that._

            _I can…use Dragon Pulse…again?_ Aura blinked.

            “ExtremeSpeed!” Ash tried again.

            Aura dashed towards Roserade.

            “Petal Dance!”

            The spiraling petals blasted Aura in the face, and she stumbled back from the force, halting her attack.

            _That does it!_

            She raised her paws, facing them towards each other, trying to focus.

            A jolt of pain pulsed from her chest, and she dropped her arms limply to her side.

            _Was that…?_ Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “End this! Solarbeam!”

            “Rrrrroooooose!” Roserade raised its roses towards the sun, and they glowed with the charging Attack.

            “Psychic!” Ash yelled.

            Aura raised her arms again, and her aura sensors rose in the same purple light that glowed from her eyes.

            Roserade levitated with the same glowing light. It cried out in pain as the light faded from its roses.

            _Aura!_ Misty and Nyx both thought at the same time.

            _‘Oly Gawd!_ Jerzy stared.

            “Nngh!” Aura groaned suddenly, and the Psychic attack failed, the purple light fading.

            Roserade landed on the ground gracefully.

            “Shadow Ball!” Ash yelled.

            “Rargh!” Aura produced and threw the dark sphere of energy before she could realize what she was doing. Roserade took it, and was knocked back several feet as it cried out again.

            _Wait._

_How did he know I knew that attack?_ Aura turned to gape at Ash. _Not even my mother did. I don’t think Lucario can. Normally._

_My father…_

            “Shadow Ball!” Drew reacted.

            “Aura!” Ash tried to snap her out of it.

            Aura turned back halfway, just in time to see the orb of energy as it made contact with her face.

            “Rrrngh!” Aura was knocked backwards and onto the ground in a heap. She struggled to get up, blinking wildly.

            _You’re pathetic. Some child of Arcanus. You have no power. You’re just as weak as this child!_

            _No…No!_ Aura shook, caught in the memory.

            “Aura!” Ash yelled. “Snap out of it! Calm down! I need you at you best now!”

            “Huh?” Aura blinked, and started to stand.

            “Roserade!” Drew started.

            “Rock Tomb!” Ash interrupted. “On yourself!”

            “What?” Nyx gaped.

            Aura understood, however, and stamped her foot, causing a triangular, stone tent to rise up and seal her off from the battle.

            “Seed Bomb!” She heard over the echoing sounds of her own breathing and heartbeat.

            The stones rapidly echoed with the sound of the Attack beating against it.

            _This defense won’t last long._

“Calm Mind!” She heard Ash yell.

            _Why should…?_ She started angrily.

            _Fine,_ she bowed her head, and tried to clear her thoughts, to calm herself entirely.

            Moments later, her world was engulfed in light and a loud shattering of the stones.

            She looked Roserade calmly in the eyes.

            “Now finish this!” Drew said in a low voice. “Hyper Beam!”

            _We got one shot at this!_ Ash tensed.

            “Aura Sphere!”

            “I…” Aura hesitated as the Hyper Beam in front of her charged.

            She raised her paws, which glowed in a faint, blue light, and she tried to focus.

            Her senses were suddenly overwhelmed in a pulse of golden energy.

            “RRRRRRAAAAAARGH!” She bellowed in agony.

            “Aura!” She heard Ash yell out.

            When the Attack was over, Aura tried to will herself to remain on her feet, but felt a force drag her to her knees. Then, she was on the ground, trying to push herself away. Finally, her arms gave out, and she collapsed to the earth, unable to move.

            “Aura…Lucario is unable to battle. Roserade is the winner!”

            _I…lost,_ Aura closed her eyes. _I…failed._

_Why can’t I use my true power…anymore?_

_You know why…_ a soft voice whispered gently in the back of her mind.

            She felt something grab at her arms and try to help her to her feet.

            “Let go of me,” Aura growled. “I don’t want your help.”

            “But, you need it,” Ash muttered. “You fought…good.”

            _Well,_ she corrected automatically. _And, no. I was disgraceful._

            “You need me now.”

            “I do not need you,” Aura growled in a low voice. “I have never needed you. I will never need you.”

            _Never. Nev…er…_

Aura’s world turned blurry and dark, as her eyelids suddenly became heavy.

            “Hmm?” Ash looked up.

            Roserade was holding a small leaf to its mouth, whistling a gentle tune through it as if it were a flute.

            _Or…a whistle. Grasswhistle,_ Ash identified the attack.

            “I…” Aura said slowly. “I…I….” After a brief struggle, the Lucario fell asleep in the human’s arms.

            “Thanks,” Ash looked at Drew.

            “No problem,” Drew ran a hand through his hair. He recalled Roserade.

            “She’s going to be rather cross when she wakes up,” Nyx walked up to Ash.

            “And,” Misty joined them, “how did you know she knew some of those attacks? Particularly Shadow Ball?”

            “Yeah,” Drew nodded. “Shadow Ball is very difficult for a Lucario to learn on their own. It can take years to master even a fraction of the power she showed with it.”

            “I…I don’t know,” Ash looked at Pikachu, who sat on his shoulder.

            He thought of how he had spent the previous night trying to tap into the Lucario’s Aura with his own.

            “I just…don’t know.”

 

…

 

“Well, I guess this is where we part ways,” Drew shrugged.

            “I guess,” Ash scratched the back of his neck.

            The buildings of Pastoria towered above them, casting shadows onto the street in the fading sunlight.

            “I’m gonna be spending the night in the Marsh.”

            “Hunting for Pokémon?” Misty smiled.

            “Yeah.”

            “We’ll be at the Center tonight,” Misty looked at Aura, who stood a few feet away. The Lucario’s arms were crossed, and she wasn’t making eye contact with anyone. “Aura and Pikachu need a rest.”

            “I think Aura has another migraine,” Ash said softly.

            “ _I wish I knew what her headaches meant_ ,” Pikachu muttered to himself.

            “Well, I’ll see you around,” Drew raised a hand as he walked away.

            “Good luck in your next contest!” Misty shouted as they waved him off.

            “Well, he was a refreshing change,” Aura growled when Drew was out of sight.

            “What do you mean?” Ash turned to face her.

            “I’m glad to know that there are male minors in your species capable of both intelligence and minding their own business,” Aura said in an angry tone.

            “Well, forgive me for-!” Ash started to retort.

            “Guys!” Misty yelled, walking between them with her arms raised to keep them apart. “Now’s not the time for this!”

            _Just when I thought that Aura might_ finally _be starting to trust Ash, too…_

            “Whatever,” Aura grimaced, turning away.

            “C’mon,” Nyx said through the strap of the pack he held in his mouth, shaking his head towards the red-roofed building nearby.

            “Nyx is right,” Misty nodded. “Let’s go to the Center and get some dinner.”

            “Yeah!” Ash grinned. “Food!”

            “Hrmph!” Aura stomped in front of them, marching towards the Center.

            “Pika…chu,” the Electric Pokémon sighed from Ash’s shoulder.

            “Let’s go,” Misty followed after her, Nyx trotting gleefully beside her.

            Ash and Pikachu looked at each other. Ash raised his eyebrows quizzically, and Pikachu nodded in response.

            Maybe now Aura’s mind would be a bit more open.

            Ash raised one hand towards the Lucario. A soft blue glow was barely visible on his hand. Ash closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind, tried to find Aura’s. He sought out her anger and rage.

            Suddenly, he saw a brief flash of the growing Center in his mind’s eye. Aura’s line of sight.

            _Yes!_

            He had little time to celebrate, however, as a flurry of intermixed voices suddenly filled his senses. Rapid flashes of various sights blinked before him like a choppy home video that had been poorly copy-and-pasted.

            Then, a pair of red eyes drowned them all out. They seemed to be human, and were filled with a dark rage. They were pure evil.

            _Pure evil._

            “ _And now, little dog, you shall perish!_ ” A deep, menacing voice rumbled through his mind.

            Ash drew his mind and Aura out. He stumbled back, shaking his head. His skull throbbed with a dull, pulsating pain.

            “Pikapi?”

            Ash looked up at Aura, who had stopped. She glanced back at him.

            “Chosen One,” he saw her sigh. She glared at him briefly, then sharply turned back and continued walking.

            _She didn’t know I had the powers of Aura before. She does now._

_Why can’t Aura use…Aura? Why did her Sphere fail?_

Ash thought of the eyes and voice from Aura’s mind.

            _The real question here, though, is…why is she keeping me out of her mind?_

            _Is it because she still doesn’t trust me with the truth? With her past?_

The mere shadow of Aura’s memory of the evil being sent a jolt of fear through Ash’s heart.

_Or…is it out of mercy?_


	18. Venom

Ash sighed as Aura and Jerzy threw angry words at each other.

            _I got a disobedient Charizard to chill out, but not one of us can keep them from fighting._

            They were on the outskirts of Pastoria, having failed to get in the main entrance to the Marsh.

            “Well, if you hadn’t started talking-!”

            “Talkin’? It was yer ‘gressive a’tions towar’s meself tha’ dun it.”

            “ _Aggressive?_ ” Aura picked up the Rattata off of the ground and brought him close to her face. “ _You want to see aggressive?_ ”

            Whock!

            “Oh, shut up!” Misty grumbled, her hand still raised from slapping the Lucario on the back of the head. “Both of you! You _both_ got us thrown out of the entry building to the Marsh.”

            _That might work._

            “Not a big deal,” Nyx grinned, while Aura rubbed her head and grimaced at Jerzy.

            “ _Huge_ deal!” Ash gaped at the Shiny Umbreon. “The Temple is somewhere in the Marsh. How are we supposed to get there now?” 

            “We could always go to the far north,” Aura offered in a level tone. “Enter the Marsh where there’s no security. We’ll likely end up near there, anyway. It’s further than any human would typically go into the Marsh.”

            “There’s not a fence around the whole thing?” Misty looked at her. “I thought it was protected.”

            “Sort of. There’s a thick forest surrounding the northern end of the Marsh. And, there are mountains surrounding _that_. No human’s ever really been _that_ determined.”

            “E’cept mebbe ‘unters,” Jerzy added.

            “Well,” Ash muttered, “they often have other ways to get in protected places like that.”

            “ _Like an airship_ ,” Pikachu added, twitching his ears from where he sat on Ash’s shoulder.

            “Unfortunately for us,” Aura continued, “we _have_ to be that determined.”

            “Naw we dun’t,” Jerzy argued.

            “What?” Ash blinked at him.

            “He’s disagreeing with me,” Aura said slowly, as if to a small child.

            “I _know_ that!” Ash groaned. “I meant, ‘What do you mean?’”

            “I’m a Mastah Thief, ‘member?” The Rattata smirked from under his mask. “Dere’s no place I kinno’ break inta.”

            “Or a word you can’t butcher,” Aura muttered to herself.

            “You can get us into the Marsh?” Misty smiled.

            “Mebbe,” Jerzy shrugged. “I kin git in meself, but I kinno’ promise ya’ll ta git in da same way.”

            “Is it illegal?” Nyx narrowed his eyes.

            “Only if’n ya git caught.”

            “I suppose we should vote on this,” Nyx looked at the others.

            “Whatever,” Aura scoffed.

            “I guess…we do need to save time,” Ash hesitated. “And I don’t really want to go mountain climbing again anytime soon.”

            “My vote lies with the Chosen One,” Nyx bowed his head. “I don’t know the nuances of human law, but I do know that the Chosen One must serve the greater good above all, and I’m willing to do what I can to aid him.”

            “ _I’ll vote for this,_ ” Pikachu nodded. “ _But, I think we should be extremely careful not to get caught until we’re deep in the Marsh._ ”

            “I…I guess we should…” Misty said reluctantly. “I don’t like the idea of breaking the law, but it’s not like we haven’t done things of…questionable legality…before.”

            They all looked at Aura.

            “Of course,” Aura narrowed her eyes. “I couldn’t care less about your laws. I’ve broken a fair few myself over the years.”

            “You’re siding with us?” Ash blinked.

            “Don’t get me wrong, boy,” Aura grimaced. “I don’t care if I vote the same as you or not, I just want to get through this and go home.” She looked down. “I just want to go home.”

            _Is she telling us…or herself?_

            “What is this wall made out of, anyway?” Nyx changed the subject with a light tone.

            “I dunno,” Ash shrugged. “Maybe some sort of metal?”

            “I…wonder how malleable it is…” Aura grumbled to herself.

            “Certain metals corrode, right?” Misty didn’t hear her. “Maybe…I mean, the Marsh _is_ filled with Poison-types. Maybe, just maybe, they’ve bored a hole in the wall somewhere.”

            “Ya tink I haven’ fig’red dat ou’ yet?” Jerzy turned back with an indignant look. “Wad’ya tink I’ve been lookin’ fer?”

            “What?” Ash blinked.

            “He thinks we’re stupid for not getting that already,” Aura grimaced. “Though,” she turned to the Rattata, “I already planned on using a hole in the wall to get us in. I even considered the possibility of the wall’s metal being malleable and simply bashing in using powerful enough Fighting Attacks.”

            “Malleable?”

            “ _Dolt!_ ” Aura exasperated. “Do you pay attention to _anything_ but battles and food?” She gaped at the teenage boy.

            “Not really,” Misty smirked.

            “Hey!” Ash looked at her.

            “Oy!” Jerzy called their attention back to him. “I foun’ summat!” He was pawing at a jagged opening in the wall.

            “You’re going to cut yourself,” Nyx warned in a gentle tone.

            Jerzy vanished into the hole.

            “Good riddance,” Aura grumbled.

            “Aura,” Misty sighed at the Lucario.

            “Oy!” The Rattata repeated upon his reappearance. “Dis ‘ole goes all de way through!”

            “Thank the Fates,” Aura said dryly.

            “I don’t think we can all fit,” Nyx inspected the hole. “It’s maybe a foot or so across at most. And, it’s irregular. You can fit through easily enough, and Pikachu will, too. I might even be able to squeeze through safely…with some effort. But, you three…you won’t be able to make it without hurting yourselves.”

            “I thought you said I wasn’t fat,” Aura said.

            “That’s not what he means,” Misty covered her face with her hand, “and you know it.”

            “It’s just not big enough to be safe for you guys.”

            “Then, let’s make it safer.”

            “What?” Nyx blinked.

            “Stand back,” Aura said calmly.

            Nyx and Jerzy looked at each other, before dashing out of Aura’s way.

            “I don’t know if this will work,” Aura looked at Misty.

            “Would you like help?” Misty reached for her pack.

            “No!” Aura snapped quickly. “I’ve got this!”

            _Aura…_ Misty sighed. _Don’t do this._

            “I’ve got this,” Aura repeated to herself as she turned back to the wall. She closed her eyes.

            _Focus your energy,_ her father’s voice echoed. _Relax your body and establish your sense of balance. Feel the earth under your paws and remember where it belongs. Focus your energy, your strength, in every muscle…and let it go._

            Aura opened her eyes, and started to pound away at the metal wall surrounding the opening. The metal groaned and bent under the pressure of her rapid and powerful punches and kicks.

            _Close Combat_ , Ash identified the Attack. _Didn’t think of that. I should remember that._

_Wait. What am I thinking? This is basically_ criminal! _I should_ forget _that! In fact, I feel a bit dirty doing this, now…_

            “The wall’s actually…metal surrounding concrete?” Nyx’s voice brought Ash back.

            “ _Aura’s not done, yet,_ ” Pikachu assured him, even as the Lucario ceased her Attack.

            Indeed, the metal had chipped away easily enough. Aura stopped attacking to catch her breath. Now, she just had to break through a foot or two of solid concrete to make a hole safe enough for all of them.

            _C’mon, Father!_ Aura clenched her jaw. _Don’t let me down now!_

            She raised her arms, crossing them in an X in front of her face. She exhaled deeply, focusing every ounce of Fighting energy into her hands. She inhaled sharply, before striking down at the wall with her flat palms.

            _Cross Chop,_ Ash blinked as the Attack caused much of the concrete to crack and break. The hole was now large enough for them to duck through, if they were careful. _A strong one, too. Where is she getting this power? Who helped her with it?_

_And, what did they do to break her trust so deeply?_

            Aura panted, short of breath for a couple of moments.

            “Why is that so hard for me anymore?” she said quietly, so the others couldn’t hear.

            “A’righ’,” Jerzy sighed. “I’ll a’mit, dat’s impressive.”

            “Let’s go,” Aura waved a paw at them to move ahead. “C’mon, before a patrol comes along or something!”

            “Right!” Nyx grinned, before carefully treading over the concrete rubble and into the Marsh. Jerzy followed behind him without a word.

            Pikachu leapt from Ash’s shoulder, and sprinted up to Aura. He jumped quickly onto the Lucario’s shoulder.

            “ _Looks like I’m not the only one whose power was tampered with, eh?_ ” He muttered in her ear before jumping through the rubble after the others.

            Aura blinked. The corners of her mouth twitched and her ears tilted downward at the slightest angle. She shook her head.

            “You two lovebirds coming or not?” Aura scowled at the humans.

            “We’re not-!” They started in unison.

            “Whatever,” Aura groaned. “Let’s _go!_ ”

            Misty shrugged at Ash, before approaching Aura, who stood on the first piles of rubble. The Lucario gripped the overhang with one hand, and reached out to help Misty with the other. Misty took it gratefully, allowing Aura to aid her.

            “Watch your step,” the Lucario muttered.

            Misty smiled softly, as she passed through into the Marsh.

            Ash approached and reached out expectantly, but Aura neither offered her hand nor even looked directly at him.

            “What’s your…?” Ash started.

            “I should think the _Chosen One_ can handle walking over rubble by himself,” she sneered, still staring past him instead of making eye contact.

            “Thanks,” Ash said dryly, as he walked past her and stumbled into the Marsh.

            _Hikari made me promise to serve you_ , Aura scowled as she followed after him. _She never made me promise to be your protector or confidant._

            _We are_ not _friends._

            Aura scoffed, her eyes closed in contempt.

            “Aura!” Misty’s voice cut through her bitter mood.

            “Hmm?” She started to open her eyes and look back, as she took another step forward. The ground beneath her paws gave way before she could realize what was going on. She slid forward and down at a diagonal, into the swampy water of the Marsh. She finally came to a stop after a brief moment, the water level at her waist. She made a face, shaking what appeared to be soaked moss off of one of her hands.

            She turned back towards the others.

            “I hate you,” she grumbled at Ash.

            “Right,” Ash sighed. “Because I did that.”

            “This is rather disgusting,” Aura turned away again. “Are we going to have to wade through murky water the _entire_ way to the Temple?”

            “Probably,” Nyx admitted. “The Temple itself is probably actually underground.”

            “So…we’ll have to find solid ground…and dig?” Ash asked.

            “Well, hopefully we’ll find a Temple Pokémon, or an actual entrance on our own.”

            “If we don’t?” Aura was trying to shake off a Magikarp that was hell-bent on eating her arm whole.

            “Well, I’m not entirely sure,” Nyx shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to, well…” he stammered.

            “We’ll have to…what?” Misty coaxed gently. She ducked briefly as the Magikarp flew through the air from Aura’s sharp fling of her arm.

            “Well, I’ve read that there are more…aquatic entrances to parts of the underground Temple.”

            “Swim?” Misty blinked. “Through the Marsh water? We can’t see in that!”

            “Quag!” A Quagsire lifted its head out of the water right nearby Aura.

            “Gah!” The Lucario stumbled backwards, splashing the swampy water around.

            “We should probably water-proof our supplies,” Misty said. “Aura, you should let me put your jacket in my bag. Leather doesn’t do well in water.”

            “I’m not…” Aura started.

            “It already has a patched tear in the arm,” Misty interrupted. “Do you want to completely ruin it?”

            Aura pouted at her slightly for a moment, before exhaling with a groan. The Lucario waded back to solid ground. Her fur dripped with marsh water as she carefully climbed out. Without a word, Aura took off her jacket and handed it to the teenager. Misty took her pack off of her back, and swiftly put the jacket inside before zipping it shut.

            “Should be safe enough there.”

            “That was a rather smart decision,” Nyx smiled.

            “I don’t think we’d survive the meltdown if Aura ruined her _clothes_ ,” Ash grumbled in a soft voice.

            Aura shot him a death glare, but said nothing.

            “Your necklace, too,” Misty held her hand out again.

            “What?”

            “Your necklace,” Misty repeated. “It could get caught on something if we _do_ have to dive for an underground entrance to the Temple. It won’t do us any good to have to save you from drowning if we can prevent it.”

            _Again_ , the unspoken word hung in their thoughts.

            Aura hesitated for a few moments, before relenting and reaching for the back of her neck. She fumbled with the clasp for a second before she got it undone. She froze for a moment, conflict clear in her eyes, then started to hand the string of pearls to Misty.

            “Wait,” Ash stopped her, grabbing the Lucario’s arm.

            “What?” Aura spat. _Let go of me!_

            “I can keep a hold of that for you,” Ash said.

            “What?” Aura’s voice softened.

            “I…I have a…thing.”

            “That’s wonderful, Ash,” Misty smirked. “Glad to know you have a _thing_.”

            “Oh, shut up,” Ash scoffed. “I mean, I have a sort of…waterproof box…thing. I keep some of my more…unique stuff in it. I…I could put your necklace in it…if you want.”

            “Why should I trust _you_ with it?” Aura narrowed her eyes.

            “Because _I_ would trust him with it,” Misty offered.

            “You would?” Ash and Aura asked in unison.

            “No,” Misty smiled, causing Nyx to chuckle.

            “Thanks,” Ash said flatly.

            “Then…” Aura started.

            “Just give it to him.”  

            “I…”

            “Aura…” Misty sighed. “Please? I really want to reach the Temple by nightfall.”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded. “I don’t think I can sleep if you smell like wet dog all night.”

            Aura thrust the necklace into Ash’s outstretched hand.

            “You don’t want to _know_ what you smell like,” she grumbled to herself, turning around and trudging back into the Marsh. 

            “Ash?” Misty raised an eyebrow at her friend. He was staring at Aura, mouth agape.

            “What is it?” Nyx added.

            “Pikapi?” Pikachu looked to where his Trainer stared, but saw only the Lucario, who was nearly up to her shoulders in the swampy water.

            _Her…back…_ Ash tried to find his voice, to turn away, to do _anything_ but stare.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu tapped his tail against Ash’s shoulder, giving him a light jolt.

            “Huh?” Ash shook his head. “N-nothing. It’s nothing.”

            Aura glanced back at him, eyes softened. After a moment, however, she scoffed, and continued to trek through the Marsh.

            “Are you guys coming, or not?”

            Misty smiled.

            “C’mon!” Misty chuckled, as she followed the Lucario into the Marsh water.

            “Yeah!” Nyx cheered, as he ran to the edge of dry land and leapt in after her.

            Aura scowled as the waves splashed into her, covering the top of her head with what appeared to be moss. She spat out mouthfuls of water with clear irritation.

            “Ughn,” she stuck out her tongue to reveal lichen that had attached itself to it. She scraped it off desperately. “I hate this place. I really do.”

            “Le’s git dis ovah with,” Jerzy reluctantly dived in after them.

            Ash blinked, before reaching into his pack and pulling out a small box. He opened it swiftly and locked the pearl necklace inside. He zipped in back into his pack and flung it onto his back once more, before walking into the Marsh after the others. Nyx dogpaddled up to him.

            “You know where to go from here?” Ash asked him.

            “Not really,” Nyx grinned, his ears drooping from the weight of the water in his fur.

            “Great,” Aura moaned.

            “I just figured we’d go north,” Nyx ignored Aura’s complaint. “That _is_ the way to go deeper into the Marsh, right?”

            “Don’t look at me,” Misty shook her head. “I’ve never even been to this region before.”

            “I think so,” Ash shrugged, splashing water as he raised his hands.

            “ _He has been wrong before,_ ” Pikachu chuckled from on top of his Trainer’s head. “ _Though, I have to admit that this seems to be our best course of action._ ”

            “Yep,” Aura dragged the word out in a sigh. “We’re screwed.”

            “Woop!” A Wooper rose out of the water in front of Aura. It was followed by others, all echoing its bright tone. “Woo! Woop! Woopah! Woop!”

            “Psy!” A trio of Psyduck swam by in a triangular formation.

            “Duck!” A Golduck burst up from under the surface, following its pre-evolved brethren.

            “Well,” Aura sighed. “This place sure is lively.”

            “There _are_ a lot of Water Pokémon here,” Misty agreed. “Are you sure this is where the _Poison_ Temple is?”

            “Affirmative,” Nyx nodded. “They’re probably just less common this close to…human territory.”

            “Well,” Aura frowned. “We’re not gonna get there and dried off just standing around here.” She started to trudge through the water to the North. “Let’s go.”

            Nyx paddled after her cheerfully.

            “Mist,” Ash said in a low whisper.

            “What?” Misty turned to look at him.

            “The next time you see Aura clean and dry, without her jacket…take a good look at her back,” he muttered to her. “If you can.”

            “Why?”

            “Just…please. It may…explain a lot.”

            “ _It’s not often Ash has an actual_ idea,” Pikachu added. “ _I think we should all keep our eyes open._ ”

            “Yeah,” Misty nodded. “Let’s go.” _I’ll worry about why you’re acting so…_ weird _…later…._

            “Yeah,” Ash followed her as they trudged through the muddy water.

            “Nuraagh!” Aura cried out, as she stumbled forward, and collapsed into what appeared to be even murkier water. With a splat, her face revealed that it was actually mossy mud.

            “Aura?” Nyx pulled himself up onto the muddy bank. “You okay?”

            Aura regained her footing, and wiped the mud from her eyes. She shot the Shiny Umbreon a glare, but said nothing. With a loud inhale, she dove under the surface of the water.

            “What?” Ash muttered. “Mwah!” He exclaimed, as Aura’s underwater thrashing caught him off-guard, and he stumbled back a bit. “Watch it!” He yelled.

            Aura resurfaced right next to him with another loud inhale.

            “I really hate this place,” She looked at her elbow to find that a Barboach was attempting to devour it. She pulled it off and threw it with great force. It splashed back into the water several feet away.

            “Aura,” Misty placed her hand on the Lucario’s shoulder. “Relax. You’re getting yourself worked up… _again_. Just…calm down.”

            “I am _perfectly_ calm!” Aura snarled at her, jerking away. “Let’s go, already!” She climbed onto the muddy bank, and stormed off towards the North, deeper into the Marsh.

            “I’m worried about her,” Nyx sighed, watching Aura as she continued to stumble through the mud and into the water on the other side.

            “I’m sure she’s just still sore over losing yesterday’s battle,” Misty muttered, as if even she wasn’t convinced. She waded after the Lucario, the others following her.

            “No,” Ash shook his head. “I don’t think it’s like that. And, who sulks over a single battle like _that_?”

            “Need I remind you of how _you_ sulk over a big loss?” Misty smirked at him.

            “I was just a kid back then,” Ash grimaced.

            “As opposed to now?”

            “Yeah,” Ash glared at her. “I’m _much_ more mature than I was at the last league you were at with me. Three years kinda does that, ya know?”

            “ _So, then_ ,” Pikachu smirked from on top of Ash’s head, “ _explain what your mood after that defeat against Paul in Sinnoh was._ ”

            “I wasn’t upset because _I lost_ ,” Ash frowned, looking up at the Electric Pokémon. “I was upset because I felt that I’d let you guys down. I failed you just as much as I had failed myself. I…I guess I felt you guys deserved better.”

            “Maybe Aura feels the same,” Misty said softly.

            “She’s made it very clear that she doesn’t give a damn what I think of her.”

            “Does she? What do _you_ think?”

            “I…I want her to be a true part of our group, but….” Ash sighed. “I don’t think she can so long as she keeps distancing herself.”

            “She seems to trust Misty well enough,” Nyx smiled.

            “Ev’n _I_ trus’ da girl,” Jerzy lifted his head further out of the water as he continued to dogpaddle after them.

            “So…why _me_?” Ash frowned. “I mean, she seems to tolerate Nyx rather well. I’ve even seen her talk to you, Pikachu. So…what’s special about me?”

            “You’re the Chosen One,” Nyx grinned. “I don’t…hey!” The Umbreon’s trail of thought was interrupted by a Pokémon catching his eye. “Croagunk!” He pointed out the Pokémon several feet forward to their left, which sat on a floating log and watched them.

            “So?” Ash tilted his head in confusion, to the protest of Pikachu.

            “It’s a Poison type!” Nyx grinned. “We must be heading in the right way! I mean, we’ve mostly just seen Water Pokémon so far, right?”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded, “except Croagunk is rather common here. I mean, the Marsh has a yearly festival for them, and everything. Tons of people in Pastoria have Croagunk.”

            “Better than nothing,” Misty said.

            “I guess,” Ash shrugged.

            “Cheer up,” she punched him lightly in the arm. “You’re starting to sound like Aura.”

            “Well,” Ash smiled, “we certainly don’t need another _Aura_.”

            “You say something to me?” Aura yelled back from her position a few feet ahead.

            Ash shrugged, but said nothing.

            After a few minutes, Aura stopped suddenly, staring at something right in front of her.

            “What’s up?” Misty asked, as they caught up to her.

            A Roselia, Gulpin, and Skorupi were all sitting on a muddy bank in front of the Lucario, staring intently at her.

            “Rose?” The Roselia looked at Misty.

            “Hey,” Nyx grinned. “What’s up, guys?”

            “Gulp!” The Gulpin said cheerfully in response.

            “Well,” Ash smiled. “I think these guys are still known to be living in the Marsh by humans, but they’re at least a bit less common. Particularly Skorupi.”

            “Skor?”

            “Wonder if they know who we are,” Misty mumbled.

            “ _I doubt it,_ ” Pikachu smiled. “ _I mean, Ash doesn’t exactly_ look _like how most would expect the Chosen One to look_.”

            “What is _that_ supposed to mean?” Ash asked.

            “It means you look like a kid still struggling with adolescence,” Aura said flatly, “and not like some sort of hero destined to save us all.” She allowed herself a small smirk. “I agree with him. I’ve _fought_ beside those with a right to the name _hero_ before, and you are not them.”          

            “Perhaps,” Misty offered, “judging by how you seem to act about those you knew in your past, that is a good thing. Or are you suggesting that these _heroes_ were _not_ the ones that betrayed you in some way?”

            Aura looked at her, but said nothing.

            “Skor!” The Skorupi began to scuttle about excitedly. “Skor! Skor Skorupi! Skor!”

            “What’s _he_ so happy about?” Aura asked.

            “ _SKOR!_ ” The Skorupi yelled at a volume that Ash hadn’t thought possible for the small Pokémon. It leapt into the water, and began to swim at a rapid pace to the North.

            “Guess we’re heading in the right direction, then,” Misty shrugged.

            “Guess we should keep going,” Ash nodded, and they waded after it.

            “Hmph,” Aura scoffed, choosing to follow at the rear this time. “ _Chosen One_ ,” she grumbled, as if the words were a bitter curse.

            Aura glared at him as she followed the group through the Marsh waters for the better part of an hour, ignoring the Marsh Pokémon as they took pause from their lives’ activities to take note of the strange group in their home. A Tropius, eating fruit from a tree, turned to watch them as it chewed its food. A Noctowl, groggy from a mid-day nap, turned its head and blinked at them with a soft hoot. An Arbok hissed at them from the log it was wrapped around, daring them to stray from their path and approach it instead. A Carnivine hung by its vines from a tree and smiled at them with a warm greeting. A small group of Budew stopped chasing each other in play to watch the newcomers, a Roserade watching over them a few feet away. A Paras scuttled down a muddy bank to watch them briefly, before continuing on its way.

            “Okay,” Ash eventually sighed. “So we’re seeing some more Poison types. But, I’ve still read about every one of these living in the Marsh. We could still be going in the wrong direction.”

            “I don’t believe that,” Misty said.

            “What do you mean?”

            “You don’t read.”

            “I read!” Ash retorted. “I…didn’t we have this conversation already?”      

            “I didn’t enjoy hearing it the last time either,” Aura growled at them. “I think we should—aaargh!” She cried out in pain, stopping in her tracks.

            “Grimer!” A Grimer rose out of the water in front of her, a large rock in its grip. “Grimer! Grime!” It cheered before slinking off.

            “Well…” Ash blinked, trying to string a thought together. “That’s definitely unusual.”

            “Koff?” A Koffing peeked out from a hole in a floating log nearby.

            “Okay, okay,” Ash raised his hands in defense from the glares of nearly everyone else. “So, we’re obviously heading in the right direction. I was wrong. Sue me.”

            Aura scoffed again, but said nothing as they continued on their way.

            A Stunky awoke from its slumber in the sunshine on a rather bare boulder to watch them briefly. A trio of Oddish popped out of the mud, surprised at the presence of intruders. A Seviper slithering through the waters swam through their group, causing them to all lurch out of its way, with Aura cursing bitterly at it as it vanished into the distance. A Drapion lifted its head out of the water, soaked moss hanging off of it and dripping water down its face, and let out a brief roar before returning under the surface.

            “Whadaya think he meant by that?” Ash asked nervously.

            “They’re probably just trying to scare us off,” Aura shrugged. “Humans and other outsiders generally aren’t welcome in Temples, after all.”

            “Yeah,” Nyx nodded. “It’s the price we pay to preserve the shadows of our culture’s past, as well as to protect our charges.”

            “Charges?”

            “The Orbs of the Elements, _dolt_ ,” Aura slapped her own forehead in frustration. “Do you _seriously_ have an attention span _that_ short?”

            “ _What_ is your _problem_?” Ash turned back to shoot her a dirty look. “Why do you have to—?” His angry question was cut short by his stomach growling in equal ferocity. He clenched it, doubling over as if in pain. “Can we eat lunch sometime soon?”

            “That’s it,” Aura exasperated. “I’m drowning myself.” She plunged herself underwater again.

            “Give her a moment,” Misty said reassuringly to Nyx, whose expression of sheer horror relaxed slightly.  

            A Skuntank charged the group, and leapt into the water in a crude cannonball, sending waves of water splashing everywhere. The force sent them stumbling backwards away from it. Aura was propelled out from under the water, coughing and swearing as she spat mouthfuls of water in every direction.

            “Ughn,” she moaned, looking at all four paws individually in disgust. “I’m _never_ going to get this gunk out from between my fingers and toes….”

            “Are they really fingers?” Ash shook his head, attempting to get rid of the water pouring from his hair. “I mean, your hands are really more like paws, so…”

            “They’re fingers,” Aura insisted. “I’m not an animal,” she added in a low growl. “Disgusting…” she sighed, pulling what appeared to be mud stuck on the top of her head.

            The Stuntank chuckled, paddling away.

            “Yeah, you better run,” Aura spat.

            “Ven! Venomoth! Ven! Ven!” A Venomoth flew down from a nearby, low-growing tree. It was chuckling as well, perhaps in shared amusement from the Skuntank’s antics.

            “Aaaaaagh!” Misty yelled out, dashing behind Aura and gripping her shoulders, putting the Lucario between her and the Bug Pokémon.

            “What…the…hell?” Aura blinked at the teenage girl.

            “Misty’s not exactly a fan of Bug types,” Ash smiled lightly.

            “Bugs…bug me,” Misty chuckled nervously.

            “I’m not a bodyguard,” Aura said softly.

            “All right, boys,” a voice sounded behind them, causing the entire group to jump in shock. “Fun’s over. Leave them alone.”

            They looked behind them to see a large Nidorina standing calmly on a mossy bank, watching them with apparent disinterest.

            “Who…who are you?” She asked.

            “Ash,” Nyx gently nudged the backside of Ash’s legs with his forehead. “Go on.”

            “I…I am Ash Ketchum…of Pallet Town.”

            “And why should I care?” The Nidorina narrowed her eyes. “Why should I not kill you all for trespassing on sacred grounds? Humans are forbidden here. Outsiders in general are not welcome. Go now, and take your lives with you in gratitude.”

            “Ash…” Nyx repeated.

            “I am the Chosen One.” Ash said with forced confidence. “I…I must go to your Temple…to complete my destiny.”

            “Who are you to order us, anyway?” Aura stepped forward in anger. “You are not the Poison Sage. Your orders mean _nothing_.”

            “Oh, yes,” The Nidorina sneered. “I’ve heard of you. You’re Hikari’s little…pet.”

            “I’m _no_ one’s _anything_ ,” Aura growled. “I belong to no one…but myself.”

            “Aura,” Misty placed her hands on the Lucario’s shoulders again. “Relax. Don’t get yourself worked up.”

            “Well…I have heard that the…Lucario that Hikari spared was traveling with the Chosen One and his other companions,” the Nidorina eventually admitted. “I am Pilar, Head Aide to Sage Maeve.”

            “You…believe us…that easily?” Ash blinked.

            “Should I not?” Pilar narrowed her eyes in a dark warning.

            “He is the Chosen,” Nyx stepped out from behind Ash.

            “Nyx,” Pilar identified him. “The son of Zyne. You are many things, boy. A traitor is not one of them. If you vouch for this human, that is proof enough for me.”

            “Thanks,” Nyx grinned.

            “Let us leave for the Temple, then,” Pilar half-turned away. “You’ll find that the deeper areas of the Marsh are not…hospitable after dark.”

            “I’d also love to wash this gunk out,” Aura nodded.

            “Follow me,” Pilar turned completely away and walked slowly into the Marsh water.

            “She seems friendly,” Ash grumbled.

            “Seems to be a common trait with Poison Types,” Aura nodded.

            “Naw,” Jerzy poked his head up from the water. “I’m shure she’s jus’ as frien’ly as newb’rn Eevee.”

            “Your sarcasm is not appreciated,” Aura slapped the surface of the water, splashing the Rattata.

            “You can all swim well, can you not?” Pilar ignored the Lucario and Rattata’s spat. The Nidorina looked back at Ash and Misty.

            “ _Well enough_ ,” Pikachu muttered nervously from atop of Ash’s shoulder. He glanced at Aura, but said nothing further.

            “I was right, wasn’t I?” Nyx muttered.

            “We must enter the Temple here,” Pilar said. “Our last remaining aboveground entrance suitable for your body types has collapsed…again. We have not been able to restore it for some time.”

            “Good thing we ran into you, then,” Nyx chuckled nervously.

            “Yes,” Pilar narrowed her eyes. “Stay close, and be ready to hold your breath.”

            “Wait,” Ash’s eyes lit up. “Hold our breath? Are we going underwater?”

            “Your powers of deduction are mind-boggling,” Aura sighed.

            “Yes, Chosen One,” Pilar nodded. “We must take an aquatic entrance, unless you’re suggesting you can sprout wings and fly on your own, or change your body shape to function similar to a Bug’s.”

            “I don’t think so,” Misty said quickly. “I don’t mind going underwater.”

            “Even in this water?” Ash asked. “I mean, look at Aura’s fur!”

            “Thanks,” Aura grimaced.

            “You know what I mean,” Ash sighed.

            “It doesn’t bother me, Ash…much,” Misty scratched the back of her neck.

            “You will have a chance to cleanse yourselves if we reach the Temple before you die of old age,” Pilar groaned with impatience.

            “All right!” Ash raised his hands in defense. “Lead the way!”

            They wordlessly waded through the water after the Nidorina for several minutes, until she came to a stop in front of a lone willow tree.

            “A tree?” Ash blinked. “A tree just like any of the others here in the Marsh?”

            “To any but a Temple Pokémon, it would seem that way, Chosen One,” Pilar half-turned to face him. “But, having lived here my whole life, _I_ know _all_ of the Marsh’s secrets…and many of the Temple’s.”

            _Seriously,_ Ash frowned. _What is up with this Pokémon’s attitude?_

            “We must dive here,” Pilar said.

            “How will we see?” Aura crossed her arms.

            “Dra!” A Drapion rose out of the water just on the other side of Pilar. With a roar, it began to emit a strong light. The group had to turn away, blinded by the sheer brightness.

            “Any more questions?”

            “Can we go already?” Aura uncrossed her arms.

            “Whenever you’re ready,” Pilar said flatly.

            “Can we discuss something first?” Misty raised her hand slightly.

            The others all turned to her in surprise.

            “Why?” Ash asked.

            “Trust me.”

            “If that is what the Chosen One requires,” Pilar didn’t bother to hide her growing impatience.

            They turned inwards, forming a private huddle.

            “What’s up, Misty?” Ash blinked.

            “Aura can’t swim,” Misty muttered so Pilar couldn’t hear.

            “What?” Aura breathed. “I’m not-!”

            “Aura,” Misty cut her off, “I saw you in the ocean before, when you were knocked overboard. You were thrashing around in a desperate manner. I’ve spent my entire life around the water. I recognize an inexperienced swimmer when I see one. Or, are you suggesting that you _can_ swim and were just caught off guard?”

            “I…Steel Types aren’t exactly made for the water,” Aura admitted quietly.

            “Do you understand the basic concepts of how to swim?”

            “I…I guess. I’ve crossed a few rivers and streams, and can tread water when I’m relaxed.”

            “Which clearly wasn’t possible during that storm,” Ash nodded.

            “Brilliant deduction, detective,” Aura said flatly.

            “Shut up,” Ash retorted automatically.

            “Anyway,” Misty hushed their rising voices, “I think you should stay near me while we’re underwater. I’ll help you, and try to keep the others from noticing, as well.”

            “…I…suppose that’s best,” Aura reluctantly agreed.

            “And, I have these,” Misty produced three small, red devices.

            “Rebreathers?” Ash identified them.

            “We don’t know how long we’ll be underwater,” Misty explained. “I can hold my breath longer than you, Ash. You and Aura should definitely take one. Nyx, Pikachu, Jerzy…you’ll have to draw for it or something.”

            “I kin hol’ mah breath for ovah five minutes before I have ta start recycl’n’ mah air,” Jerzy shook his head.

            “I’ve lived in caves with unreliable air supplies all my life,” Nyx echoed the Rattata’s action. “I can hold my breath easily, as well. Pikachu should take it.”

            “ _I’ll be fine_ ,” Pikachu insisted.

            “Oh, just take it, one of you,” Aura exasperated. “I’d like to get this gunk out of my fur before I _die_.”

            “I insist,” Nyx grinned.

            “ _Well, okay…_ ” Pikachu reluctantly agreed.

            “What about you, Misty?” Ash asked. “Are you sure you can hold your breath long enough?”

            “Trust me, Ash,” Misty chuckled.

            “I do, but…”

            “I grew up around the water. I can hold my breath. I can even recycle my breath, like Jerzy said.”

            “That takes some serious determination,” Nyx grinned. “I’ve only attempted it once, and honestly, the process scared me half to death.”

            “That’s…great,” Ash hesitated. “Are you sure about this?”

            “Does Brock like Nurse Joy?”

            “If you’re _that_ sure,” Ash sighed.

            They turned back to Pilar.

            “We’re good to go now.”

            “Good. Follow me.”

            Pilar dove underwater, the Drapion following her. Ash and the others looked at each other.

            “Let’s get this over with,” Aura said before putting the rebreather in her mouth and following the Nidorina.

            Misty nodded, taking a deep breath and diving after her. The others followed suite.

            The Drapion illuminated their way with Flash, while Pilar swam in what appeared to be a dogpaddle. Ash blinked, trying to get his eyes to adjust to being underwater. He looked around, to see Pikachu swimming above him, Misty to one side, and Nyx to the other. He couldn’t see where Jerzy went, but noticed that Aura was below Misty and…apparently walking on the bottom of the Marsh?

            “Aura?” Ash’s voice came out slightly distorted from the rebreather and surrounding water. “What are ya doin’?”

            “I’m part Steel,” Aura’s voice burst out of her rebreather with a burst of air bubbles. “I have issues with sinking,” she added as they swam into an underwater tunnel, the Drapion’s Flash serving as their only source of light.

            “ _Understandable,_ ” Pikachu nodded, sending bubbles everywhere.

            Misty swam downwards, until she was swimming beside Aura’s slow gait. The redhead gave her a look.

            “I’m fine,” Aura growled in a flurry of bubbles. “I’m just not going to fight to swim when the bottom’s right here.”

            “You didn’t seem heavy before,” Ash glanced down at them briefly.

            “I’m not _heavy_ ,” Aura turned in a fluid yet rapid manner towards him. “I’m physically _dense_. Unlike you, who’s _mentally_ dense.”

            “Yeah, well—!” Ash started.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu swiped the top of Ash’s head.

            Misty shot him a look, before swimming ahead to make sure they didn’t lose Pilar and the Drapion.

            “Focus, Chosen One,” Aura growled at him. “The others can’t afford to have us drag them behind for long.”

            “Us?”

            “Shut up and swim,” Aura kicked herself forward and away from him, speeding up by a slight amount.

            After another minute or two, Ash noticed a shaft of light from above just ahead. Pilar and the Drapion shot upwards into it. Ash hesitated, watching as Nyx followed after them with a hint of desperation in his speed.

            “Pika?” Pikachu exchanged a glance with his Trainer.

            “What?” Aura blurted as Misty grabbed her by the underside of her arms. The teenager was pulling the Lucario with her as she swam up to the surface.

            “I guess we’re here,” Ash spoke with mild difficulty to Pikachu, before they followed after them.

            The first thing Ash heard when he broke the surface of the water was the sound of someone coughing and gasping next to him.

            “You okay, Nyx?” He heard Misty’s voice.

            “Fine,” The Umbreon said in between breaths.

            “Where are we?” Ash asked, taking the rebreather out of his mouth. “Where’d the light go?”

            “Obviously, the Flash wore off,” Aura’s voice sounded from right behind him, causing him to turn sharply in surprise.

            “We in the Temple, yet?” Ash asked, ignoring Aura’s bitterness. “Or, are we just in a random cave to catch our breath?”

            “No, Chosen One,” Pilar’s voice was accompanied by the sounds of large splashing and the Drapion’s mutterings. “We are at one of the aquatic entrances to the Poison Temple. The torches were just put out. We appear to have splashed water upon them when we broke the surface.”

            “I can help,” Nyx said softly, just before his blue markings began to glow with a like-colored light.

            Ash looked around to see his blue-tinted surroundings. Misty and Aura were nearby, the former holding onto the Lucario’s arm. Aura was looking at Misty, whose deep breathing was quite visible, though even. Misty’s hair, tinted purple in the colored light, clung to her face and neck, water dripping off of the clumps of moss and algae that had attached to it in several spots. Aura’s ears drooped with the weight of the water that was still dripping from them, and she held the rebreather in one hand above the water. Nyx was on Ash’s other side, now pulling himself over the edge of a nearby bank, made of what appeared to be mossy stone. Pikachu was right beside Nyx on the stone surface, and was shaking water off his fur. Pilar and the Drapion were a few feet away from the water, messing with something on the tall stone wall.

            _Where’s Jerzy?_ Ash thought, turning around in the water. _If he got lost..._

            “Isa good t’ing our packs’re watah-proof,” Jerzy’s voice echoed behind him as if on cue. Ash turned to see the Rattata pulling himself out of the water behind them. His mask and cloak dripped with an amount of water that seemed to be highly disproportional to their size, and clung to his small, lithe body along with his lavender pelt.

            “Tell me about it,” Misty chuckled.

            “Glad I’m not wearing my jacket,” Aura sighed. She didn’t protest as Misty helped her over to the edge of the stone floor and out of the water. “You coming, Chosen One?” She shot Ash an impatient glare.

            “Coming,” Ash sighed, and he pulled himself out with little effort. Water seeped through his clothes and out onto the floor.

            “Careful,” Misty said to Aura. “Don’t slip.”

            “I’m fine.”

            _Yeah, same here_ , Ash thought with a bitterness he hadn’t expected to feel. _I’m not here, too, or anything. I’m totally..._

            A burst of bright light engulfed Ash’s senses, and he flinched, trying to keep from stumbling backwards into the water again. He blinked rapidly until his eyes adjusted and allowed him to see in the room now illuminated by the unusually powerful torches.

            The room appeared to be a simple, circular cave, with a roughly round opening in the middle with water, the way they had come in. There was also a single passageway that twisted out of the room, presumably into the rest of the Temple.

            “Come this way when you’ve gathered your senses again,” Pilar said flatly, as she and the Drapion walked down the passage and out of sight.

            “Is it just me,” Ash took off his jacket and wrung some more water out of it, “or does she seem to be...untrusting?”

            “It’s a rather common mindset for those higher up in the Poison Temple’s hierarchy to develop,” Nyx shook water out of his pelt, splashing an irritated Aura slightly.

            “Why?”

            “The Poison Element has the potential for great power,” Nyx started. “But, like any power, it also has to potential to...well... _poison_ the mind. And, the Poison Element focuses on poisoning your opponent in battle to start with. They weaken their foes, draining strength and stamina in one fell blow. So, naturally, they are as equally suspicious of others as we are of them.”

            “I’m not suspicious of her...or really anyone,” Ash tilted his head back and forth, shaking water out of his ears.

            “You should be,” Aura was trying to pull clumps of what appeared to be moss out of her pelt.

            _What?_ Ash blinked at the Lucario.

            “The more powerful and in-tune a Temple Pokémon here gets with the Poison Element, the more withdrawn and skeptical they typically become,” Nyx said with a shrug. “There are some exceptions, of course, but that’s just the way they are.”

            “That’s…kinda sad, actually,” Misty looked at the Shiny Umbreon.

            “Yes, well, when your Element is abused by one of the greatest forces of evil to ever walk this Earth with an alarmingly high frequency in comparison to most other Elements…it’s understandable.”

            “What are you talking about?” Ash turned sharply to face Nyx. “Who abuses the Elements? What evil? What aren’t you telling me?”

            “Are we gonna stand here and talk about old myths all night?” Aura groaned before Nyx could find his voice again. “Or, can we actually go and get washed and dried off?”

            “Let’s go,” Nyx nodded. “We can talk later, I guess.”

            They carefully traversed down the stone passageway without another word, until they came to a large, open stone room, with various Poison Pokémon sitting and lying on dry carpets and pelts around the sides of the wall. Conversations ceased, as they all turned to look at the newcomers.

            “I guess these Pokémon are just as unused to humans as the ones at the Flying Temple,” Nyx mused softly.

            “Come,” Pilar stood at the other end of the room, near another hallway. “The Sage will see you now.”

            “Well,” Aura sighed. “At least she doesn’t beat around the bush.”

            “ _Small blessings_ ,” Pikachu nodded, before jumping up onto Ash’s shoulder.

            They followed after her, through various twists and turns down the halls of the Temple.

            “Don’t touch the thorns,” Pilar warned.

            The walls were now covered in an increasing amount of vines and roots, many of them covered in thorns and barbs of various sizes. The torches became less and less common the deeper in and down they went through the passageways, steadily replaced with the presence of a strange, bioluminescent moss that grew on the wall in between the vines and roots.

            “Why?” Ash asked.

            “They may poison you,” Pilar sighed in frustration. “There are some venoms that even we would be unable to treat before you perished from its effects. Some of these are lethal nearly instantly.”

            “Why would you live with something so…dangerous living on the wall?” Ash furrowed his brows.

            “Because Poison-types are immune to the effects of poisons and venoms and so forth,” Nyx explained quickly, before Pilar could reply in irritation.

            “Oh,” Ash blinked.

            _They really_ don’t _trust outsiders here._

            “How much further is it?” Aura sighed. When she didn’t get a response, beyond a groan from Pilar, Aura continued speaking. “Are we going to get there before our grandchildren die of old age? Will we still be under the Marsh when we reach the Sage? Will we be able to breathe normally? Will everything be lit by this glowing moss?”

            “Do you have _any_ thing worthwhile to say or ask?” Pilar finally snapped.

            Aura blinked.

            “Can I have a towel?” She flicked her damp ears up and down. “I’m still pretty much soaked, here.”

            “Yeah,” Ash nodded. “We’re all kinda….” His voice trailed off.

            “Waterlogged,” Nyx offered gently.

            “Actually,” Ash glanced sideways at Misty, “why haven’t _you_ said anything about being soaked? You haven’t…complained…once.” He found his voice faltering.

            In the lower light of the bioluminescent moss, Ash mostly saw outlines and simple details of his companions. As for Misty, he noticed that her hair still clung to her face and neck, framing its form, and her clothes embraced her body…less loosely than when dry. He could see the contours of her shape, her soft, gentle curves. They weren’t all that exaggerated, really; in fact, he might not have ever noticed she had any real…feminine shape to her at all if it hadn’t been for the water her clothes soaked up, forcing them to cling to her like that.

            Ash shook his head, and forced himself to look away.

            What was _wrong_ with him?

            “I’m a Water-Type Gym Leader,” Misty reminded Ash, not even bothering to look at him. “My clothes get soaked all the time. You have no idea how many challengers decide to try to have a Snorlax or Metagross or something else big jump into the pool.”

            Ash found himself grimacing deeply for some reason beyond him.

            “Oh.”

            “What’s that tone for?” Misty asked.

            “Whadaya—?” Ash started.

            “Chosen One,” Pilar stopped suddenly. Ash stumbled to keep from crashing into her as the others stopped behind the Nidorina. In front of them was an opening in the tunnels, just like the many twists and turns they’d walked past and through already. This one, however, had a curtain of the moss that covered the walls and provided their soft illumination to the Temple caves.

            “What’s up?”

            “The Sage is beyond.”

            “Okay.” Ash blinked several times, staring at the moss.

            “Go on!” Aura gave him a sharp shove on the back.

            Ash stumbled forward with a shout of surprise, and tripped over Pilar. He fell head first through the curtain and into the next room. He cursed bitterly under his breath at the jolt of pain that surged from his ribs as he landed on the stone ground with a loud sound.

            He looked up to see a flat stone with a soft teal glow, and a rather large Crobat sitting on top of it, looking down at him. It wore some strange jewelry on the arms of its wings, and a jeweled, gold collar that seemed to not fit it quite right.

            “The Chosen One, I presume?” The Crobat spoke with a feminine, yet quite rough, voice.

            “I’m Ash Ketchum,” Ash dusted himself off as he got back on his feet, “of Pallet Town.”

            “I’m Misty,” the redhead entered with a bit more grace, the others behind her.

            “Pika Pikachu.”

            “I’m Nyx,” the Shiny Umbreon nodded politely.

            They looked at Aura expectantly.

            “ _What?_ ” The Lucario asked.

            “This is Aura,” Misty smiled in amusement. She held up Jerzy by the scruff of his neck. “And this little annoyance is Jerzy.”

            “Be welcome, then,” the Crobat smiled warmly, “friends of the Chosen.”

            “I’m not…” Aura grumbled, before Misty elbowed her into silence.

            “I am Maeve, Sage of the Poison Temple,” The Crobat continued. “I see you’ve met my Head Aide. Pilar, you may now return to your previous duties. Thank you for your service.”

            “Thank you, milady,” Pilar bowed her head slightly, before running back off into the Temple tunnels.

            _Nicest thing she’s said so far_ , Ash thought to himself.

            _At least the Sage is friendly enough_.

            “Forgive my Aides for their untrusting nature,” Maeve smiled at them. “The Poison Element has a way of warping the mind if you are unprepared, as well as the body. Those who are well-versed in its power are aware of this, and thus have a limited amount of trust in others. As well as their own hearts,” she added softly.

            “It’s alright,” Ash shrugged. “I’m getting used to not always being trusted.”

            Aura scoffed, but said nothing.

            “I’m certain you must be tired from your journey here, and could use some food and perhaps a chance to rest and wash the grime of the Marsh from yourselves,” Maeve continued. “Allow me to take you to the habituation burrows, where you may find yourselves something for your supper, and the washing areas to get the mud off. I shall return for your Test in the morning, Chosen One.”

            “Sounds good,” Ash nodded. “But…can I ask something?”

            “Of course.”

            “Why are you being so…nice? I mean, you seem to trust us entirely, and we just met you. Didn’t you say that…?”

            “Yes, most would not, but then,” Maeve chuckled lightly, “I have learned what many Sages have discovered throughout the countless centuries at this Temple, though they may never admit it.”

            “What?” Aura asked softly.

            The Crobat looked from Ash to Aura, before turning her gaze back to the teenage boy.

            “Fear is also a poison.”

 

…

 

Aura scrubbed her pelt with the rough sponge in a desperate fervor. She was soaked in the water surging from the shower-like structure in the stone wall. Clumps of fur surrounded the small drain holes in the stone beneath her feet. She hissed sharply as the sponge, under the pressure of her force, ripped through the upper layers of her left arm’s flesh.

            A small surge of red spiraled around the drain. Aura dropped the sponge and gripped her arm. A little bit of blood oozed between her paw’s fingers.

            _Why do you do this?_ A soft voice whispered in her mind.

            _Leave me alone,_ she responded automatically. Then, with a sudden jolt of realization, she continued. _Who the hell are you?_

            _A friend,_ the voice seemed muffled and distant, _I’d like to think._

            _I have no friends._

            _What about the girl?_

            _I…._

            Aura hesitated.

            _Shut up and leave me alone._

            _Why do you wish harm on—?_ The voice ignored her order.

            _Because I…hate him._

            _Not the Chosen One, child._

_Who then?_

_Yourself._

            Aura stumbled and nearly slipped to the wet floor. She shut off the shower using the rather simple, stone mechanism on the wall.

            _I don’t. Leave me alone_ , Aura repeated, before focusing on closing her mind off to any outside influence.

            _It’s been a while since anyone’s tried to speak to me telepathically,_ Aura grimaced as she dried herself off with a towel. Forgetting, she rubbed it over the small wound on her arm, and she hissed in sharp pain again.

            _I need a bandage,_ Aura glanced around the empty room. _And I finally got all my other bandages and wounds taken care of,_ she added with a sigh. _It seems I’m still Fate’s punching bag._

            Aura wrapped the towel gently around her arm.

            _This will do. Shouldn’t take long for the bleeding to stop. It’s not that bad a cut._

_I’ve had worse,_ she rubbed the top of her head gingerly.

            She picked the sponge up off of the ground. Aura walked over to a small, slate bin in one of the corners of the shower room. She tossed the sponge into it with disinterest.

            Aura sulked out of the room and started to trudge through the hallways and tunnels of the Temple. The passages were silent, save for the sound of her paws against the dirt and the soft breathing of the sleeping inhabitants. Eventually, she came to a small, empty hollow just large enough for her to stand and move around slightly in.

            After glancing about her, she entered the small chamber. Aura walked to the far wall from the entryway and sat cross-legged, her back against it. She inhaled deeply.

            _It’s quiet enough. Maybe I’ll be able to concentrate here._

The Lucario closed her eyes.

            _I_ can _still do this._

            She exhaled deeply, her entire body relaxing with the motion. Her ears drooped down, her hands rested gently on her thighs. She bowed her head slightly.

            _Everything…tranquil,_ she tried to remember her instruction. _Every muscle loose and relaxed. Every last thought released into nothingness. Focus solely upon the breath and the flow of blood in their veins. Focus solely upon the surge of energy within you._

_Feel the current of life within you, and reach out to its energy without._

            The Lucario’s Aura Sensors were raised in a weak, blue light.

            Eyes closed, Aura was still beginning to see the blurred, faint outlines of her surroundings in a sapphire glow.

            Pain exploded through her, and she opened her eyes with a raspy inhale. Her senses were engulfed by the pain, blinding and deafening her entirely to her surroundings. The agony pulsed through her veins and muscles, and Aura couldn’t determine where the source was. She couldn’t really think at all. Every cell in her body felt as if it were being ripped apart.

            She flailed around unintentionally, falling over to her side and grasping futilely at the stone floor.

            _…Help_ … she eventually managed a weak thought.

            _I’m…gonna die…_

            After countless ragged breaths, the pain gradually eased. Aura blinked as the sight of the room around her returned. She could hear her rough inhales and exhales again.

            _What…the hell…was that?_

            Gingerly, she stood back up.

            _What…happened? What did I do wrong?_

She thought back to what she did.

            _Nothing. I followed my father’s teachings exactly. What…what changed?_

She blinked.

            _Besides the obvious,_ she added to herself.

            She closed her eyes, and focused her thoughts, reaching out with her mind. She was rewarded with a soft, buzzing sound of muffled voices in her head.

            _I can still use Psychic. In fact,_ that _power’s returning rather rapidly to its old strength._

_So, why can’t I use my namesake? What is wrong with me?_

            With a sigh, Aura stumbled out of the room, rubbing her chest gently.

            She trudged slowly down the passageways again, stopping every so often to glance down the various hallways before choosing one to continue through. She eventually stopped in front of a small, private room that their group had been allowed to rest in for the night.

            The room was a gentle, circular shape, with a cot on either side where the human teens slept. Pikachu slept, as usual, curled up against his trainer, and Nyx slept in a similar position on the ground nearby them. Misty slept in her cot opposite them, turned away towards the wall. Jerzy was stretched out on his side under her cot, snoring noisily.

            Aura looked at Ash. He slept on his back, his arms tucked loosely behind his head, serving as some sort of pillow.

            _Even in his sleep, he radiates with over-confidence._

            _That really shouldn’t surprise me,_ Aura allowed herself a gentle smile.

            She shook her head.

            _No_ , she told herself forcefully as she slumped herself against the wall near Misty’s cot. _I will not make this mistake…again._

She rubbed her forehead with one hand, trying to somehow soothe the ache that was humming in her skull.

_I will not allow myself to…care._

 

…

 

Silver walked slowly, forcing himself to focus exclusively on the scientist speaking to him, and ignore that the person on his opposite side even _existed_.

            “So, as you can see,” the scientist droned on, “we have resorted to using primarily defunct structures on the surface, with the functional majority of our operations base being located underground.”

            The scientist stood a couple of inches taller than Silver, had a white streak in his short, black hair, and a petit goatee. He glanced over at Silver out of the corner of his eye a few times while he spoke, though he mostly focused his gaze through his small glasses to where they were headed. His white lab coat parted with each step to reveal the new Rocket Scientist uniform underneath: black trousers and shirt with white trimmings and a large red R on the shirt’s front.

            Silver glanced back once to see Red walking diagonally behind him. The Scyther watched the Scientist with narrowed eyes, but remained absolutely silent.

            “Yes,” Domino sighed impatiently from the Scientist’s opposite side. “I can see the rusted, old, post-apocalyptic warehouses you expect us to believe are part of our high-tech base here. Tell me, Sebastian, does this have anything to do with the Rayquaza incident?”

            Silver scowled, but didn’t look away from the scientist.

            “Something like that,” Sebastian frowned slightly as he pressed a number of keys on the keypad near the door of one of the warehouses.

            With a groan, the door slowly opened partway. It creaked and stopped roughly a third of the way up.

            “Damn,” Sebastian said in a tone that resembled disinterest. “Unfortunately, our covert tactics often have these…glitches.”

            Silver glanced at Red. The Scyther still didn’t say a thing, but nodded his head in understanding anyway.

            “Hold on,” Sebastian sighed. “I’ll get this blasted thing open a bit more…”

            “Whatever,” Silver ducked under it and entered the warehouse through its meager entrance. The warehouse was dimly lit by the sunlight through the half-smashed windows and the ceiling lights that flickered with damaged or dying light bulbs. There were rusting, long, metal tables all over the large room, most of them knocked around in various positions. Several wooden crates littered the area near the right wall, and near the small, windowless room on the left. Silver assumed that the smaller room’s door actually led to the elevator to the underground base.

            Domino swiftly appeared next to him, with a bit more grace than her fellow Elite. Before Silver could react, the shapes of Sebastian and Red rose up between them.

            “Or not,” the scientist scowled, dusting off his lab coat.

            “Good boy,” Silver said low enough that only Red could hear, as Silver gave the Scyther a fond pat on his forehead.

            “Anyway,” Sebastian continued walking towards the far wall, where various photos clearly printed from security footage were posted. “We have received various sources of intel that reveal the presence of a very powerful Pokémon in this area. We are not sure of its species, and the local rumors say that it is an unusual beast.”

            “So, you’re trying to find and capture it,” Silver stated the obvious. “You want to know if it’s worth anything to the Team.”

            “Yes,” Sebastian said dryly.

            “Sounds easy enough,” Domino smirked. “I bet that even those blasted grunts could do this on their own.”

            “Why _are_ we here?” Silver added.

            “We…have a persisting nuisance as of late,” Sebastian hesitated. “We previously had our captured Rayquaza transported to a facility to the northeast of these mountains. But…we had it our possession for roughly three days before we were ambushed by a guerilla attack and…they released it.”

            “How many?” Silver asked. “How many were in the attack?”

            “We’re not entirely sure.” Sebastian admitted. “Rayquaza was…well, pissed off, and the ensuring attack by it caused the all but complete and utter destruction of the facility it was held in.”

            “Honestly,” Silver smirked, “I can’t say I blame it.”

            “Yes,” Sebastian’s voice was level. “This was the clearest image we could salvage from what little security footage survived,” the Scientist handing Silver a photo from the wall.

            It was a close-up of the bust of a Swampert, which was winking directly at the camera with its tongue out.

            _It was mocking them,_ Silver refrained from a chuckle. _I honestly have to say I admire their reckless bravery, whoever these people are._

            “Do you think that they’ll be able to track us here?” Domino asked.

            “Not likely,” Sebastian shook his head. “But, Giovanni requested that we practice more…subtlety from now on. The less attention we draw to ourselves the better.”

            _That’s rather level-headed of him_ , Silver narrowed his eyes. _What the_ hell _is up with my father lately? He’s acting really…weird._

            “In any case,” Sebastian continued, taking the photo back and returning it to the wall, “I’m sure you two would like to get yourselves set up in the base now.” He gestured to the door on the left wall.

            Silver turned around and headed instead to the door back outside.

            “Where are you going?” Domino grabbed his shoulder.

            Silver turned sharply to face her, jerking out of her grip as he did so.

            “I have a team of Pokémon that are barely acquainted with me, and that I have…rather minimal experience with,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “I _assume_ that you’re more than _capable_ of taking care of the Grunts, so _I’m_ going to take this opportunity and train. The more experience I have with my team, the better we’ll do in the field. Especially if this strange Pokémon is as powerful as the local rumors say.”

            Taking their silence as an agreement, Silver continued back under the partly-raised door and out into the mountainside again. Red gave the others a menacing glare, before following after his trainer.

            “He certainly has the same tactical logic his father did at his age,” Sebastian said flatly. “At least, if what I’ve heard of Giovanni’s youth is true.”

            “Giovanni was raised and _groomed_ as the perfect Rocket,” Domino shook her head. “Silver was _not_. I don’t know where he’s getting his strategy, but it’s not from experience or training.”

            “Maybe not his own,” the Scientist countered. “But he does have the experience his old companion had from protecting him while he grew up.”

            “I…guess so.”

            “Not to mention, he did spend a lot of time watching tournament battles and reading,” Sebastian smirked. “I don’t think it’s surprising to hear me say that research can be very useful indeed.”

            Domino smiled.

            “I guess.”

            She looked at the door.

            _Just don’t get yourself in more trouble than you can handle…._

 

…

 

Ash fell backwards onto his backside, groaning as the Grass-type assailant continued her attack.

            “BAY!” The Bayleef cheered excitedly, hitting Ash with another Body Slam.

            Ash chuckled.

            “Yeah, I’m excited to see you, too, Bayleef,” He eventually got her to calm down enough to let him up.

            “Some things never change,” Misty smiled.

            “What do you mean?” Aura asked, eyebrow cocked.

            “Bayleef has been very…affectionate towards Ash since she was a Chikorita.”

            “…I see.”

            “MUUUUUUK!” Muk slithered to Aura, and wrapped himself around the Lucario in a smothering hug.

            “Guuuhghghn!” Aura struggled to even yell out through the Poison Pokémon’s sludge. “Ge’ ‘im…off!”

            “Come on, Muk,” Ash smirked. “Let her go.”

            “Muuuk!” Muk released the Lucario only to embrace his Trainer, though in a less engulfing  manner. Ash continued to chuckle.

            “Ughn,” Aura lifted one arm in front of her face, only to see her pelt was still covered in chunks of Muk’s grime. “Oh, come _on_.” Aura sighed and turned around, walking out of the large chamber they were in and back into the Temple passageways. “I’m going to go take another shower,” she yelled back in clear irritation.

            “Great,” Ash sighed. “I thought she was in a better mood today.”

            “I’ll talk to her later,” Misty offered.

            “Anyone see where Jerzy went?” Nyx asked from beside Misty.

            “ _Probably off to see what he can filch from here_ ,” Pikachu shrugged. The Electric Pokémon looked up at his trainer, contemplating whether or not he would make it to the teen’s shoulder. After a moment, he decided against it.

            “Well, Chosen One,” Maeve spoke gently from atop a small perch in the corner of the chamber. “Are you ready to begin?”

            “I…I am,” Ash nodded, as Muk released him.

            “Bay!” Bayleef cheered in agreement.

            “Very well,” Maeve chuckled in mild amusement. “Your path lies behind you. Take the tunnels there through the maze of the Tunnels of Toxin. If you survive, Chosen One, you will find yourself at the Temple Shrine at the end. You may use your entire team, but no one else is allowed to accompany you. You may set off whenever you wish. May the spirit of Hikaru go with you.”

            Maeve flew off back into the main hallways of the Temple without another word.

            “Okay…” Ash blinked.

            “Good luck, Ash,” Nyx grinned, before starting to trot after the Sage. “Coming, Misty?”

            Misty looked at Ash for a moment. Confused by her strange expression, Ash opened his mouth to say something, but closed it shortly thereafter, suddenly unsure of himself.

            “See you,” Misty finally muttered before following Nyx away.

            “See ya.” Ash blinked.

            “Bay?” Bayleef looked at Ash.

            “Nothing, buddy,” Ash smiled again, rubbing the top of the Grass Pokémon’s head. “Everything’s cool.” He turned to Muk. “You’re a Poison Type. Can you feel the pull of the Poison Element, or however Maeve put it?”

            “Muuuuuk!” Muk said in a gleeful tone.

            “I’ll…take that as a yes,” Ash gave him a nervous smile. “Lead the way, then, buddy.”

            “Muuuuuuuuk!” Muk slithered off into the tunnel.

            Ash and Bayleef exchanged glances before they ducked into the passageway after the Poison Pokémon. Ash shouted in pain as a hidden root extending from the ceiling made sharp contact with his forehead.

            “Bay?” Bayleef asked in fearful concern.

            “Fine,” Ash rubbed his head. “Just…a _brilliant_ way to start,” he added to himself in an irritated tone. He stumbled after Muk again, blinking as the light levels changed frequently from the inconsistent sources of the moss and stray torches.

            “Bayleef,” the Grass Pokémon eventually muttered nervously behind him. “Leef…”

            “Everything will be okay,” Ash smiled. He stopped, turning to face her. “It always turns out okay in the end, bud.”  

            The words were barely out of his mouth when the tunnels were alive with the roar of roots and vines breaking through the walls. They grabbed Ash before he could react, pulling at him from all directions. He struggled futilely as they lifted him slightly off the ground, pinning his limbs to his body.

            “Damn it,” he grumbled. “Bayleef! Razor Leaf!”

            “BAY!” Bayleef obeyed with a roar, a flurry of leaves bombarding the offending vines.

            A few vines and roots were severed, but most survived with barely a scratch. More ripped through the dirt and stone walls, and tightened their grip.

            “ _BAY!_ ”

            “ _PIKAPI!_ ”

            “Sc…Scep…tile!” Ash struggled to even breathe with the roots tightening around his throat. He somehow managed to flick his wrist and knock a Pokéball off his belt. “Le…leaf…Bl…bla…de….”

            “Tile!” The large, reptilian Grass-type Pokémon materialized in a flash of red light. “Scep!” The leaves on its arms merged with a green light to form a glowing scythe-like blades. “Sceptile!” Sceptile yelled as it swung the Leaf Blade at the roots repeatedly. The blows struck each offending vine with a resounding _thwock_ that echoed through the tunnels.

            Ash tried to hold on to his breath, but even what he managed to gulp down seemed to be pushed right back out by the vines’ grip. His very bones moaned from the plants’ squeeze and his vision began to blur and fill with bright dots. Just as the shadows began to engulf his sight, Ash felt the grip suddenly loosen, and he fell to the ground in a heap, gasping gratefully for air.

            “Pikapi?” Pikachu rubbed his head against his Trainer’s side.

            “I’m…fine…buddy,” Ash said in between breaths. His sight gradually restored itself to normal, and Ash turned to Sceptile. “Thanks, man. You were just in time.”

            “Sceptile!” Sceptile gave a short nod.

            “Take a rest,” Ash recalled the Forest Pokémon to its Pokéball. “There’s not really enough room for you to join us in these tunnels.”

            Ash slowly returned to his feet.

            “Bay?” Bayleef looked at him in concern.

            “I told you,” Ash grinned. “Everything will turn out okay.”

            “Muuuk?” Muk slithered back. Ash hadn’t noticed that the Poison Pokémon had gone ahead and had thus doubled back.

            “Nothing to worry about,” Ash repeated. “Let’s go.”

            “Muuuk,” Muk slid away again, the others close behind.

            Pikachu jumped up onto Ash’s shoulder and gently rubbed his cheek against his Trainer’s.

            “Pi…ka…”

            “I’ll be fine, Pikachu,” Ash scratched behind one of Pikachu’s ears. “Don’t worry about me.”

            Pikachu looked at him, but said nothing as they continued through the tunnels.

            “Muuuk!” Muk eventually stopped, and the others followed suite behind him.

            “What now?” Ash looked at him.

            “Muuuuuk!” Muk seemed to dissappear down into the ground.

            “Muk!”

            “Pika!”

            “Bay!”

            Ash grabbed a torch from the tunnel wall, and held it out over where Muk had vanished.

            “Wh-whoa!” Ash stumbled backwards, bumping into Bayleef. “That is _deep_!”

            There was a sharp drop, the beginning of a ravine that claimed the next several yards of the tunnel. The light from the torch wasn’t even bright enough to cut through the darkness to the bottom.

            “Muk?” Ash called out into the chasm.

            “Muuuuuk!” The Poison Pokémon’s voice sounded distant.

            “ _I guess he’s going to slide down, across, and back up,_ ” Pikachu said. “ _I guess having a gelatinous, sludge-like body has its advantages. Still, won’t work for us._ ”

            “So what do we do?” Ash looked down it, fighting the feeling of dread building in his chest.

            “Bay!” Bayleef said cheerfully.

            Ash looked at her for a few moments, blinking. His face lit up.

            “Bayleef!” He smiled. “ _You_ can help!” He turned back to the ravine. “You can use Vine Whip, and grab something on the other side! Then, I can walk across…like a rope bridge!”

            _Like the first Temple._

            “Then,” Ash continued, “you can get a running jump and pull yourself across, and I’ll recall you to your ’ball as soon as you’re close enough.”

            “Bay…?” Bayleef tilted her head as she thought the idea through. “Bay!” She seemed to accept it wholeheartedly after a moment.

            “Okay, then,” Ash said, stepping out of the way.

            “BAY!” Bayleef yelled out, shooting two Vine Whips into the darkness ahead of them. She jerked herself backwards slightly to check that, whatever she had grabbed was secure. “Bay!” She gave Ash a nod when she was satisfied.

            Ash exchanged a glance with Pikachu, inhaled deeply, and took a first tentative step onto the Vines. He pressed his hands against the tunnel walls for support. With Pikachu clenched firmly on his shoulder, Ash slowly started to walk down the Vines across the gorge. He focused on making each step level and deliberate and keeping his breath even. Eventually, he made it across and carefully returned to solid ground.

            “All right,” Ash called over to Bayleef, pulling a Pokéball off of his belt. “Come one, Bayleef!”

            “Baaaaay!” Bayleef yelled as she catapaulted herself over towards him.

            “Wha?” Ash stammered as she collided with him, knocking him backwards onto the ground before he could react.

            “Bay!” Bayleef said cheerfully.

            “Yeah,” Ash smiled, “I’m glad you’re okay, too.” He recalled her to her Pokéball. “Now, take a well-deserved rest.”

            “Muuuk!” Muk reemerged from the dark ravine and slid past Ash and Pikachu.

            Ash got back on his feet, brushing off his pants. Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder. They looked at each other with a chuckle before following after Muk once more. The vines on the wall became thicker, choking out most of the bioluminescence from the moss. Ash noticed that the ground had become softer, and knelt to investigate.

            “It’s…like sand,” He held a small amount in his palm and let it flow out through his fingers. He stood back up. “I wonder if we’re still under the Marsh.”

            “ _Maybe we’re under the mountains just to the north, now_ ,” Pikachu mused.

            Ash started to walk through the sandy area after Muk.

            Thump!

            Something flew past his face, his nose being brushed by the small gust caused by its motion.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu jumped down to the ground.

            “Whoa,” Ash examined the wall nearby his face. One of the roots climbing down the wall, had a rather large thorn wedged in its side.

            “ _Back up!_ ” Pikachu yelled.

            Ash stumbled back, just in time to see several more thorns shoot out in attempt to poison him. They embedded themselves harmlessly in the walls and vines and roots. 

            “Okay…” Ash crossed his arms. “How do I get through this?”

            He stared down at the ground, fidgeting his right foot in the sandy dirt.

            Pikachu tilted his head at him for a moment, before smiling. The Electric Pokémon lightly tapped his Trainer in the leg with his tail, giving Ash a light jolt.

            Ash’s face lit up.

            “Donphan!” Ash tossed a Pokéball up. “Dig us a passage underneath these vines! Rollout!”

            Donphan materialized in the red light with a roar, curling up in his Rollout before even hitting the ground. Sandy dirt flew all over and created a ditch safe to travel through. Ash walked through it, Pikachu just behind him. Thorns flew across the passageway harmlessly above their heads.

            “See?” Ash asked. “I’m smart. This was genius!”

            Pikachu smiled, but said nothing.

            Eventually, they emerged past the thorny vines, where the sandy dirt ended and solid ground began again.

            “Thanks Donphan!” Ash recalled the Pokémon. “You were awesome!”

            “Muuuk!” The Poison Pokémon’s voice sounded far off.

            Ash looked around, trying to determine which of the many, splitting tunnels Muk was in. Then, he noticed one of them had a bright, orange light coming down from the end of it.

            _The Shrine?_

            “Finally!” He looked down at Pikachu. “Race ya there!”

            He started to run down the hall.

            “ _I’m going to regret this…_ ” Pikachu shook his head, before running after Ash. The small Pokémon quickly caught up and passed his trainer.

            In moments, Ash saw the room at the end of the tunnel, the soft purple glow from the Orb in the Shrine beckoning him. His chest swelled with victory.

            Suddenly, the image of the Shrine was wiped away by the appearance of a dark wall in his way. He collided with the rock wall, and fell backwards to the ground.

            “I’m gonna get a concussion from all this falling,” Ash mumbled. Then his face fell.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu’s voice yelled from the other side of the wall.

            “NO!” Ash slammed his fists against the wall. “Damn! I’m so close!”

            He heard a thumping sound, and the room went totally dark. He looked fruitlessly behind him.

            _Another wall closed_ , he realized. _I’m trapped in this tiny room. I’m gonna run out of air. I’m gonna die in here._

            His heart accelerated as he struggled to fight the growing fear in his chest.

            He heard a light hissing, and the air took on a weird smell. His eyes began to burn, and he felt his knees weakening. He stumbled to the ground, and began to gasp for breath. He clawed at his jacket, trying to find anything to help him out of his situation.

            _Poisonous gas._ He realized what was going on. _It’s…the last defense of the Shrine. How…how do I beat this? Have…to get out. Have…to…_

His thoughts became fuzzy, and he continued to grab at his jacket, reaching inside it, pulling at the interior pockets in desperation. He paused when his hand made contact with a different cloth texture. He pulled out what he knew to be a small square of cloth.

            Even as his mind continued to cloud over, he heard a soft voice in his memory.

            _Makes it easier to carry._

            He brought the handkerchief to his mouth, breathing through the cloth. His mind didn’t clear, but he felt the build of the pain slow somewhat.

            _Think. THINK!_

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu’s voice sounded horrified.

            _What would…the others…suggest?_

_Sceptile’s strength might break the wall,_ Misty’s voice offered.

            _A strong Rollout with firm determination and bring down even the strongest wall_ , Nyx’s sounded as cheerful as ever.

            _That’s not helpful_ , Ash frowned. _I won’t risk killing the others in this._

_To’ ya dat ya’d git killed,_ Jerzy would’ve likely offered in arrogance.

            _Some Chosen One,_ Aura sounded angry. _Can’t even break down a wall with his own power._

            _Break down the wall._ The words repeated in his own voice.

            _I can break down the wall!_

            Ash focused on the faint feel of power in his left hand.

            _The Fighting Element should help._

            Ash inhaled deeply through the handkerchief, held his breath, and thrust in his jacket pocket. He raised his hands and focused what mind power he still had. He brought the hands down onto the wall with great force.

            _Brick Break._

            The wall groaned for a moment, before the stone split, light flowing through and filling the chamber. He heard the hissing stop, as the wall collapsed and allowed passage to the Shrine again.

            Ash inhaled the clearer air gratefully.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu jumped into his Trainer’s arms, relief clear in his voice.

            “Muuuuk!” Muk engulfed them both in a large hug.

            “I’m fine, guys,” Ash chuckled. “I’ll always be fine.”

            They released him, and he showed them the handkerchief that had allowed him time enough to figure it out.

            “I’ll always be fine, because I’ll always have my friends,” he smiled.

            “Pikachu-Pi,” Pikachu shook his head.

            Ash stumbled into the Shrine proper.

            “ _So this is what the Shrines look like,_ ” Pikachu mused.

            “Yeah,” Ash said.

            Like usual, the Shrine was a square room, the stone walls decorated with carvings and torches, their messages in the same language Ash still couldn’t read. The center had the Shrine’s main statue, a silver, cross-legged Riolu holding the Orb above his head. The Orb was a swirling mix of lavender and orange, with the same opaque yet transparent effect as the others. The statue was surrounded by statues of various Poison Pokémon: Ekans, a male Nidoran, Golbat, a Venonat, a Koffing, a Gulpin, a Seviper, Stunky, a Skorupi, a Croagunk, and several others. In one corner, another silver statue depicted a Riolu–whom Ash suspected was a young Hikaru–with the child from before, though the latter appeared to be a little older than the last statue. The young Hikaru was helping the human youth with his fighting stance, the Dratini lying in a semi-circle just behind them with a soft smile on its face.

            _What does this mean?_

            “Pikapi?”

            “Nothing,” Ash looked back at Pikachu.

            _I’ll figure it out eventually._

            Ash looked at the Shrine and the Orb. He carefully walked around the surrounding statues to approach it.

            The soft glow from the Orb beckoned to him. He felt something in his chest warm, and the overwhelming desire to touch the Orb burned in every cell of his body.

            “Let’s get this over with,” he braced himself, and grabbed the Orb with great force from both hands.

            As he expected, a searing pain exploded from his chest. He slammed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw in his struggle to keep from yelling out.

            _Ashura…_ a gentle voice whispered in his head. _Ashura…_

_Who are you?_

            _Ashura, you’re doing amazing!_ The voice didn’t seem to hear him.

            The pain didn’t ease, but Ash felt his body weaken, and his knees turned to gelatin. He fell to them, still unable to let go of the Orb.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu yelled in fear.

            _Ashura…_ the voice deepened.

            _What do you want?_ Ash forced the thought through the pain and weakness that was claiming his mind.

            _What…what are you doing?_ The voice didn’t sound like it was talking to him. _Ashura? What have you_ done? _Why have you done this to me? To yourself?_ Why?

            _What…?_

_Ashura…_ the voice leveled off. _You’ve done well to make it this far. You may yet fulfill your destiny._

_Hikaru?_

_Yes. Ashura…You’ve finally secured…with me._

_What? I didn’t…get…all…that…_ Ash struggled to hold on to his thoughts though the building agony that threatened to weaken him into utter nothingness.

            _I guess…more of the…to maintain consistent…me. I’ll…what I can get. Be careful…Traitor is building in…won’t be long…makes contact. He’ll know…will be in danger. Your…will all…terrible, mortal danger._

_What…do I do?_ Ash asked him.

_Let go…your Poisons,_ Hikaru hesitated.

_Poisons?_ Ash forced the question through the sea of pain.

_Fear, Ashura. Fear…but cannot be expunged. Acting despite…is the true antidote to…is real Courage._

_I’m not afraid…of anything._ Ash retorted automatically.

            Hikaru’s voice chuckled in his mind.

            _I forgot…the feeling of a youth’s recklessness…to feel that surge again. …Been so long…so long since…._

_What?_ Ash interrupted Hikaru’s fading voice.

_We have…little time._ Hikaru sounded panicked. _The Orb’s final defense…will claim…if you don’t claim it. Beware of Hate…will blind you. Your strength in…building to your destined…be warned. You may harm…if you do not keep…in check. Hate can remove…restraint. Beware it._

_I…don’t hate anyone,_ Ash attempted to shake his head.

_For now. You’re growing…confusion is common. …Can lead to Hate. Worse…beware the…venom of Pain,_ Hikaru warned.

_Pain?_ Ash wasn’t sure he understood.

_Not purely physical. Emotional Pain…felt by all. Simple Pain, from simply splitting ways from a friend for a while to helplessly watching a beloved die. …All know the burn of Pain at some point in life. Pain is universal. …Must learn to let go of Pain, or it will consume you._

The image of two pairs of eyes filled his mind, one blue-green, one dark blue. They both narrowed and turned a dark, burning red.

            _You must let go of Pain,_ Hikaru repeated, his voice clear at last in his head. _Pain is the most corrupting Venom you can succumb to. If you do not learn to let go of Pain and act out of other motives, Pain will Corrupt and Curse you in a way you cannot comprehend._

_Why are you so scared of this happening?_ Ash did not understand.

_Because, Chosen One. You have great power in your blood, both literally and figuratively. You may yet affect the entire world in ways none can prophesize. But, that power can just as easily be used to condemn us all if you should fall. Learn to use Poison to strengthen your heart, and do not allow it to control you._

_There is a Darkness in your blood, your name,_ Hikaru continued _. You are the first in generations to not know the true depth of Pain your bloodline has known since it was ripped from its true home._

_I…don’t understand…_

_You will,_ Hikaru sighed. _One way or another, I’m afraid you will. I just hope you’re strong enough to let go of Pain before you do._

_Hikaru…?_ Ash asked in concern.

_Claim the Orb, now, Ashura. It is time. You cannot last much longer. I will try to make contact again…you’re recovered. Then, maybe…answer your…little more._

Ash pulled up on the Orb with great force.

            The Poison Orb popped out of the Shrine’s grip with a soft sound.

            Ash collapsed, as he felt the Pain ebb away slowly. His world went dark as it finally faded.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu ran to his Trainer. The Pokémon checked Ash for his pulse, sighing with relief when he was convinced that Ash was okay. The Orb glowed gently in the Chosen One’s hand, and the light gradually faded. Pikachu gave Ash a light jolt.

            Ash blinked awake.

            “Pikachu?” he muttered. “You there?”

            “Pikapi,” Pikachu hugged Ash’s shoulder.

            “I’m okay, buddy,” Ash reassured him. “I’m okay. Let’s go back to the others, now…”

            Ash’s eyes drooped. Pikachu chuckled.

            “ _No, Ash,_ ” Pikachu shook his head.

            “Muuuuk!” Muk surrounded his Trainer in a hug, much lighter than usual.

            “I’m…okay, guys,” Ash mumbled.

            “ _Rest, Ash,_ ” Pikachu rubbed his cheek against his Trainer’s. “ _You’ve been through a lot today. You always tell us when we’ve earn a rest. Now, it’s our turn._

“ _Take a well-deserved rest_ ,” Pikachu said softly as Ash faded off into slumber.


	19. Winged Death

Silver swung his sword with a sharp yell.

            Clang!

            The blade made contact with Red’s crossed scythes.

            “Not bad,” a voice behind him caused Silver to jump.

            “Mondo,” Silver said in a level voice. “What do you want?”

            “I heard you went off to train.”

            “So?”

            “That was _hours_ ago. You considering a break before you all pass out?”

            “We’re pacing ourselves. I’m not stupid.”

            Mondo gave a sad smile.

            “I never said you were.”

            “Why do you care?” Silver narrowed his eyes. He dug the tip of his falchion into the ground, and leaned gently into it.

            Mondo placed a hand on Silver’s shoulder.

            “Do I need a reason?”

            Silver jerked backwards out of his grip.

            “I don’t need you.”

            Mondo blinked.

            “I never said you did.”

            “I’m not weak.”

            “No, you’re not.”

            “I’m strong. My team is strong. We’re not weak. We’re strong.”

            _Is he trying to convince me…or himself?_

            “I know.”

            “What do you want?”

            “To help you.”

            Silver looked at him, eyes narrow in dull suspicion. Red walked up beside him, and gave Mondo a nod. Fang and Venom ceased their friendly, training battle and walked up to Silver. Fang leapt up onto Silver’s shoulder with a cheerful gurgle. Venom pawed at the ground, glaring at Mondo. Minerva didn’t move from where she was practicing her Slash and Metal Claw attacks on a large boulder, but did shoot Mondo a dark smirk while only looking at him from the corner of her eye. Silver sheathed his sword in its scabbard, which was strapped diagonally to his back.

            “It’s after midnight, Silver. You’ve been out here for hours. Your dedication to your team is admirable, but don’t get too obsessed with it. They need a rest. And so do you.”

            “I’m fine. When they’re ready to stop, they can. But I won’t rest until I’ve become as strong as I possibly can. I won’t let myself fail… _again_.”

            “I’m your friend, Silver,” Mondo stressed. “I can help you become _stronger_ , but only if you don’t shut me out.”

            “ _Why_ do you _care_?”

            “I’ve always cared, Silver,” Mondo shook his head. “You needed someone looking out for you. You both did.”

            Silver stammered.

            “If I could change places with her, I would,” Mondo said quietly.

            Silver lost his voice entirely.

            Red gave Silver a gentle poke on the side.

            “I know,” he whispered.

            Silver gave Red a soft pat on the head.

            “You know, you’re a lot like her.”

            “If I really was,” Silver looked away, “then she’d still be alive.”

            “I didn’t mean _her_.”

            Silver looked at him.

            “I meant your mother.”

            Silver stumbled backwards, eyes wide.

            “You…knew my mother?”

            “Once, a very long time ago.”

            “Did…does…?”

            “I don’t know anything about who she is now,” Mondo shook his head again. “All I know…is she loves you very much.”

            “Then…why did she give me up? Why did she let my _bastard_ father take me away and bring me up in this _hellhole_?”

            “She…had no choice. They had no choice.”

            “There’s always a choice,” Silver shook his head. “You always have a choi…” Silver’s voice trailed off. He clenched his head.

            “Silver?”

            “Fine. Headache.” Silver fought to keep his voice level. “Just caught me off guard. I’m fine. I…”

            Silver turned sharply towards the direction of the Rocket base.

            “You hear that?”

            “They sound rather riled up,” Mondo nodded. “I wonder what’s going on…”

            Before Silver could respond, the ground vibrated as the sounds of an explosion ripped through the air.

            “What the hell was that?” Silver’s face blanched.

            Mondo visibly trembled.

            “Mondo?” Silver turned to him.

            “Not again…” Mondo muttered to himself in horror.

            “Come on!” Silver yelled to his team, before running off towards the base.

            Mondo watched, frozen to the spot, as they ran off after him.

            Silver ran through the mountainside, dashing between the boulders. Water sprayed in all directions as he ran downstream in the creek, taking the most direct path back down to the base. Red caught up, sprinting alongside his Trainer and looking at him expectantly.

            “Run ahead,” Silver ordered. “Find out what’s happening. And stay safe!”

            Red nodded sharply, and the Scyther sped off with a swift Agility.

            “Tototototo?” Fang asked from Silver’s shoulder.

            “It’ll be okay, buddy,” Silver told him.

            _I’ll make sure of it._

            The rusty warehouses slowly came into view, illuminated in the dark night by the moon, stars, and the flames from the furthest one, which had been obliterated into burning rubble.

            “NO!” Silver yelled out, running with a slight increase of speed and a great deal more desperation.

            He finally came to the far edge of base from the fire. He saw Domino and several Grunts standing next to one of the untouched warehouses, staring at the sight, appearing to be immobilized. Red was standing next to a Grunt, poking him gently with a scythe, but he got absolutely no response.

            “What the hell are you doing?” Silver bellowed in rage. He stopped in front of Domino and grabbed her by the shoulder. “You’re an Elite. _Act like it!_ ”

            None of them seemed to hear him, simply staring in fear with pale faces and wide eyes.

            “What the hell is your problem?” He yelled at them. “Your teammates are _dying_ in…” he trailed off in anger, swearing bitterly under his breath. “To hell with this shit,” Silver dashed off towards the blaze. “Bloody cowards.”

            The smell of rust and burning gasoline hit Silver like a brick wall. He stopped his charge, the burning warehouse already engulfing his entire field of vision. Silver coughed, choking on the fumes.

            “Fang…” he wheezed. “Try to lessen this with a…a…Hy…Hydro Pump.”

            “Tototototo!” Fang did a front flip off of Silver’s shoulder, landing in front of him. “ _Dile!_ ” The small Totodile unleashed a torrent of water at the flames. The Hydro Pump had little effect on the surging blaze, but it was better than doing nothing.

            “Li’l Boss!” A familiar voice yelled from Silver’s right.

            “You three,” he recognized the Trio his father had assigned to him. “What happened?”

            “We don’t know.”

            “Are you alright? Who was in there?”

            “We…” They looked at each other. “We don’t know.”

            “ _Are you_ _alright?_ ” Silver repeated. Red and the rest of his team caught up, coming to a stop to his left.

            “We…we’re alive,” James eventually stammered.

            “We felt the explosion from the other end of the base,” Jessie added, fear clear in her voice.

            “Whad about da others?” Meowth added.

            Silver looked at the burning building, watching as what remained of the roof collapsed inwards.

            “Be thankful you weren’t one of them,” Silver said solemnly.

            “What do we do?”

            Silver hesitated.

            The fires suddenly lessened, and the skies darkened from the rapid formation of clouds above.

            “Dis ain’t natural,” Meowth trembled. “I can feel it.”

            “Ya _think_?” Silver breathed.

            “What’s happening?” James stood behind Silver, as if the teen could protect him from the building storm.

            “I remember…this,” Silver said as the air filled with the rumble of thunder. “The sudden storm…the feeling of dread…just…”

            The fires that remained parted, revealing several dozen corpses of the unlucky souls that had been inside at the moment of explosion.

            “Dear…God,” The Trio muttered in unison.

            “And the presence of death,” Silver added, not even bothering to hide his horror.

            _No matter how vile of scum those Rockets were…no one deserves to die like that._

_No one…save for a single man._

A shadow lurked amongst the scorched bodies and flickering flames.

            “God save us,” Silver muttered.

            The four-legged beast stalked out of the burning building, climbing up on a chunk of rubble to look down on the bunch of survivors before it.

            Dark blue eyes locked with dark red ones. Silver felt the cold grip of fear paralyze him. He understood now why the others couldn’t react.

            _The gaze of Fear._

            The mutilated beast that had once been a Houndoom simply stared down at Silver, tilting its head as if it, too, remembered the last time they had met.

            _SILVER!_ The memory of that night surged through Silver’s mind. _RUN!_

            Silver clenched his chest, remembering the feel of the beast’s claws against it.

            _This nightmare is partly responsible for her death,_ Silver remembered, trembling as the strength of the Fear spell increased.

            _Courage is not the absence of Fear,_ a soft voice whispered in her mind. _Courage is simply what happens when you act_ despite _Fear, rather than_ out _of it._

            _She didn’t let Fear keep her from her duty to protect me_ , Silver shook his head, reclaiming control of his body again.

            He glanced behind him, to see the Trio cowering together at the sight of the beast. Behind them, the other Rockets were either watching the monster in a similar manner, or looking to him for answers.

            _They’re scum,_ a dark, velvet voice said in the dark recesses of his mind. _They’re cowards. Weak. Disgraceful. They let their companions die. They deserve death._

_They’re my men,_ Silver shook his aching head. _They’re depending on me. I’m responsible for them._

_I’m responsible for them._

Silver drew his sword. The beast tilted its head the other direction with a confused growl.

            _I will not neglect my duty to protect them, no matter how vile or cowardly they are._

_I will not let anyone else suffer at this madman’s hands!_

            Silver charged the beast.

 

…

 

“Pika…” Pikachu tilted his head in concern.

            “I told you,” Ash said. “We’re way out of practice. We need to train more.”

            “ _Isn’t this whole Chosen One thing taking up enough of our energy?_ ” Pikachu stood upon a log floating in the Marsh, trying to reason with his Trainer.

            “That’s just it,” Ash crossed his arms, standing knee-deep in the Marsh. “Being the Chosen One…I have to be that much stronger. We all do. We have so many people counting on us. We have to be at our best. They deserve it.”

            Pikachu sighed.

            “ _Do we have to be so secretive about this?_ ”

            “The Sage insisted we rested tonight,” Ash shook his head.

            “ _Maybe she did that for a_ reason _, you idiotic—_ ”

            “I can’t waste time,” Ash insisted. “Attack me.”

            Pikachu shook his head.

            “I have to get better. For these tests. For the world. For the others. For you.” Ash’s voice took on a desperate tone. “I _can’t_ fail. This isn’t a League. I get it now. This is so much more than that.”

            _You have no idea,_ Pikachu looked at him with a saddened expression.

            “We’re out of practice.”

            “ _Attacking you won’t solve that_ ,” Pikachu tried to reason with his Trainer.

            Ash turned away from Pikachu.

            “Four times,” Ash muttered. “I’ve almost died _four times_ in the past twenty-four hours _alone_. I’m not stupid. I’ll admit I’m reckless, but even _I_ realize that this is much more serious than I first thought. There’s something out there…something…evil.”

            “ _I was beginning to wonder if you even believed in truly evil people_ ,” Pikachu muttered. _Growing up tends to sacrifice childhood idealisms…_ The Electric Pokémon sighed at the loss.

            “You guys are always there for me,” Ash didn’t seem to hear Pikachu. “I need to make sure I’m at my best…so I can be there for you, too.”

            “ _This is_ not _the way to do that_.”

            “You have a better idea?”

            “ _Wait until morning. Ask Nyx to help. Ask Misty. Ask Aura. Anything but push yourself too far._ ”

            Ash looked at his hand, the gauntlet rematerializing. The four Elemental Orbs glimmered in their slots.

            “This is _my_ responsibility.”

            “Pikapi…”

            A rapid shadow covered the moon briefly, causing its light on the Marsh to flicker.

            “What was that?” Ash looked up at the sky.

            A loud splash from behind him answered his question. Ash froze, suddenly unable to turn.

            “Pikapi…” Pikachu’s eyes widened in fear, pointing at something behind the human teen.

            Ash managed to slowly turn to face the newcomer.

            The Returned Charizard’s form blocked out the light from the moon, as the beast towered over them. Ash couldn’t make out many of the monster’s details in the night shadows. He took a step backwards.

            _What the hell is that?_ He couldn’t find his voice. _It…looks like a Charizard._

_A Charizard from Hell._

            Ash caught the shape of fangs in its mouth as the Returned snarled at him.

            _Dear God…those eyes._

            The dark red eyes seemed to glow with hellfire, and Ash could have sworn he saw the brief flicker of gold swirl in them.

            The beast swung its claws at Ash, flinging him aside before he could react. Ash fell face-first into the water. Ash tried to stand, throwing a Pokéball as he coughed water out of his mouth.

            “Pidgeeeeot!” The Bird Pokémon flew straight into an attack at the beast’s face.

            With an unearthly roar, the Returned Charizard swung itself around, dodging the attack and slamming its spiked tail against Pidgeot. The Bird Pokémon shrieked as its feathers were ignited with the black flame. The fire thankfully didn’t last long, as Pidgeot was flung into the Marsh water with a splash and a hiss.

            “I think I should have listened to the Sage.” Ash could no longer fight the growing terror that engulfed his senses.

            “Pikaaaaaaa-Chuuuuuuuuu!” Pikachu attacked the Returned with a powerful Thunder.

            “Nngh!” Ash helped with a Swift attack of his own before stumbling back down into the water.

            The Returned shook its head, not even fazed by their attacks.

            “What?” Ash stared at it through the water dripping from his hair down his face. “ _No!_ ”

            The Returned roared at them again, before unleashing a strange, beam-like attack Ash had never seen before, and sent Pikachu flying.

            “PIKACHU!” Ash bolted to his feet and tried to reach his friend.

            The Returned, taking advantage of its opponent’s turned back, slammed its claws into Ash’s side, knocking him over and shredding through his jacket and flesh.

            Ash collided with a boulder, groaning in pain. He turned to face the monster again, clenching his bleeding wound with both hands.

            _What…what is this? What do I do?_

The Returned let out another roar, releasing a strange flame from its mouth and nostrils at the same time. The resulting illumination revealed its full appearance to a horrified Ash.

            _What the hell is this nightmare?_

            Ash tried to stand, but fell backwards against the boulder again.

            “Piiika…” Pikachu’s voice echoed Ash’s terror.

            _Crimson eyes_ , Ash remembered Aura’s hysterical words from the night of the sea storm. They no longer seemed so hysterical to him.

            _No wonder she’s so messed up, if she faced this nightmare once before._

            The Returned Charizard extended its wings, blotting out all light from the sky above Ash, casting him into utter darkness, save the burning, red eyes.

            _Death has wings_ , she had said.

            Ash’s lungs froze, his entire body paralyzed in fright.

            _I’m going to die._

 

…

 

“Snea!” Minerva slashed at the Returned Houndoom with a flurry of Metal Claws.

            The beast simply dodged each one with an unnatural speed, and found shelter in the dying flames as it unleashed a burst of multicolored flames at the Sneasel.

            “Hydro Pump!” Silver yelled rapidly.

            “Tototototo!” Fang was able to redirect the attack, though the flames’ heat still evaporated the attack’s water before it could reach the beast.

            “Double Team!” Silver shouted over the roar of the worsening storm.

            Red circled the beast with copies of himself. The Returned wasn’t the least bit fazed, simply turning its head to face the real Red.

            _Oh, God._

            “Feint!” Silver ordered.

            Red vanished, causing the unnatural fiend to blink in mild confusion.

            “Brick Break!” Silver bellowed, just as Red reappeared behind the Returned.

            The Returned made a sound halfway between a yelp and a snarl as the Scyther knocked it over with great force.

            “ _VENOM!_ ” Silver shouted as he ran around the burning rubble, getting into position and thinking quickly. “Head Smash!”

            “Nid!” The small Nidoran head butted the beast with a loud _thwock_!

            Snarling, the Returned swiped Venom away with one blow of its paw. The Nidoran landed on the ground a few feet away, and shook his head from the recoil of its previous attack.

            “Nidoran!” he yelled in a determined challenge to the monster.

            Without a sound, Silver charged the Returned Houndoom from behind and swung his sword, aiming for its neck. Before he could make contact, however, the monster turned completely around and grabbed the blade of his sword in its mouth, stopping his attack.

            “No, you don’t!” Silver yelled, kicking upward. His foot made contact with the underside of the Returned’s throat. It let go of the blade, making a strange, wet, gurgling sound.

            “Nid!” Venom attacked unbidden, clamping its mouth down on the Returned’s shoulder in a Super Fang.

            The beast growled in irritation, and whipped Venom with its barbed tail, sending the small Pokémon flying again.

            “Snea!” Minerva started to charge the monster again.

            The Returned expelled a burst of multi-color fire from its mouth, hitting Minerva at full force. The Dark Pokémon shrieked in pain and started to use Icy Wind on herself in desperation to stop the burning.

            “Minerva!” Silver yelled in concern.

            Red struck suddenly with an Aerial Ace, catching the Returned off-guard enough to back up again before it could counterattack.

            Silver charged the Returned again. However, this time, he feinted and rolled to the ground and under the monster, attempting to slash his blade against its underside.

            Still too fast for the teen, the beast reacted by pivoting on one front paw and slashing Silver in the shoulder with the other. Silver knelt on the ground, grabbing his bleeding shoulder and fighting to keep his eyes open and his gaze on the Returned.

            _Why does this wound burn so much more than others I’ve had? It’s just like before…three years ago…_

            Silver’s thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Fang attacking the Returned in defense of his master, the little Totodile surrounded by the swirling water of an Aqua Jet attack.

            The Returned turned to look at the Totodile, and gave it an annoyed growl before slamming both front paws down on him, pushing him into the dirt.

            “ _NO!_ ” Silver yelled in agony, bringing his sword down on the Returned, the blade finally making contact as it sank into the beast’s shoulder.

            The Returned roared in pain, spinning around to face Silver again, slapping him with its barbed tail in the process. Silver fell backwards, jolting himself forward as his back made contact with a still hot piece of metal rubble. The Returned clamped its jaws down on Silver side. Silver shouted in anguish, slashing futilely at the monster’s side with his falchion, desperate to make it let go.

            Red charged the beast, swinging his blades at its other side, as well as kicking it. He tried absolutely every attack he knew, but the beast simply would not release his Trainer.

            Just as Silver was about to give himself up for dead, he saw something fall from the sky and land mere inches from his nose, embedding itself in the ground.

            A black tulip.

            _No way._

            Suddenly, the Returned released Silver as it shrieked in pain, the cackling sounds of electricity clear in the air.

            “You leave him alone, you damned hell-demon!” The last voice Silver expected came to his rescue.

            Silver struggled to position himself to look up at her.

            “Domino?” He blinked at her. “You…why?”

            “I’d be a rather bad partner if I stood by and watched you die, wouldn’t I?”

            Silver tried to find something to say. He struggled to his feet, the deep wound in his side throbbing with a pain that seared through his veins.

            Behind her, Silver saw that the Grunts had gathered, whips and blades and Pokéballs poised for their attack.

            “For the Team!” One yelled.

            “For Elite Silver!” A younger Grunt yelled. “He who fought with the courage and ferocity of a Rocket!”

            _What._ Silver blinked. _Am I hallucinating?_

He still stared straight ahead as they charged the Returned Houndoom as one.

            _The Team…on my side? Fighting for me? To protect me?_

_Even her?_

Silver shook his head, and turned to watch the tables finally turn in their favor.

            _Even in the darkest of hells,_ Dagger’s voice echoed from his early childhood teachings, _we can find within our hearts the purity and the bravery to stand and fight, to inspire our people, to bring them together. This is the greatest power, the finest strength, any creature can have, human or Pokémon._

            Silver smirked.

            _Not so unprotected now, am I?_ He took a step towards the fight, brandishing his blade.

            _For you._

Fighting against his pain, Silver leapt back into the fray with a smile.

 

…

 

Moonsbane chuckled in a low tone.

            The Ancient sat cross-legged upon a flat boulder, his blue-green eyes clouded over with a reddish haze.

            The Blood-Witch scowled from her nearby shelter. He had still not left her territory, much to her annoyance. And, to anger her further, he had gone to share Sight with his vile beasts within sight of her home.

            She was familiar in this practice of his, being learned in every manner of Blood Magic, something that few humans believed in anymore.

            He could use his eternal bounds to his Returned beasts to look through their eyes. And, having two eyes himself, he could split his Vision between two of his Returned.

            Which, she decided, he was most certainly doing, as he looked back and forth from his left to his right in sharp, rapid motions. His long, dark red hair, tied back in his usual ponytail, whipped back and forth with his head, making the action seem even more violent in nature.

            The Blood-Witch looked over at the motorcycle that rested against a nearby tree.

            Oh, how she’d fantasized about destroying that vile machine while he slept. It wouldn’t have as much of a hindering effect on his movement as she’d like, but at least it would be _something_.

            Though, it would have the backfire of his reliance on his Flying Returned beasts for travel. Which could make him more dangerous in theory, and bring him back to her territory far more often in certainty. As much as she knew she had to play her part in order to finally bring him down properly, once and for all, she quite detested his…attentions.

            _The lack of aging brought on by my practice of this terrible Magic is certainly a double-edged sword_ , she mused.

            “I said, take the boy alive!” Moonsbane yelled, jerking his head to the right. “I need Giovanni’s son _alive!_ ” The man snarled in rage. “You _stupid animal!_ ”

            _Well, I’m afraid he might be a little less inclined to come to you so easily_ , the Blood Witch smirked to herself. _You may not remember the bonds of love, but he certainly does, and I’m certain he desires revenge against you and everything you command._

_May God go with the poor child._

            “ _What?!_ ” Moonsbane spat in irritation, snapping his head to the left. “What do you want, you winged lizard? What’s so…?”

            Moonsbane blinked, his eyes widening.

            “That…black hair…those eyes…” He breathed. “That’s _not possible!_ ”

            The Blood Witch narrowed her eyes. Could he be…?

            _NO!_

            “ _You bastard!_ ” Moonsbane snarled. “ _Damn you, Gyles!_ ”

 

…

 

Ash looked up at the Charizard-like monster that towered over him with its glowing red eyes.

            _I’m going to die_ , Ash felt horror surge through him. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

            He looked up at the Returned Charizard, glaring at it in the eyes, refusing to die showing any sort of fear.

            The Returned made a strange noise, partway between a snarl and a growl, once more revealing its rows of sharp fangs. It grabbed Ash in both of its clawed hands, causing the human to flinch slightly as the claws ripped his sides slightly.

            “Pikapi!”

            “Get your claws _off_ of him, you _son of a bitch!_ ” A female voice yelled from somewhere behind him.

            “Wha?” Ash blinked.

            A dark blur flew in from behind Ash and collided with the Returned’s face, causing the behemoth to release Ash as it snarled in irritated pain. Whatever Ash’s savior was, it was silent as it continued to apparently bash on the beast’s face. Ash couldn’t make out any real details on even its general shape, due to the low light on the night and how _fast_ his rescuer was moving.

            “Pikapi!” Pikachu jumped onto Ash’s throbbing head.

            “Pikachu…” Ash blinked slowly, trying to think through his headache.

            “ _Are you alright?_ ” Pikachu asked.

            “I’m alive,” Ash half-chuckled.

            “Pidgeeeeeeoooot!” Pidgeot rose out of the Marsh water with a shrill cry, launching himself at the Returned’s dead. The blur was knocked aside in the struggle, and it fell to the Marsh with a splash.

            The figure rose out of the water not far from Ash, its silhouette suggesting a vaguely feminine humanoid shape.

            “M…Misty?” Ash asked nervously.

            “Not…even,” the voice gasped in a rougher tone.

            “Aura?” Ash gaped.

            “ _Chosen One_.” The Lucario spat, lifting her head into the moonlight. “Do you just _attract_ trouble? How have you survived for so long without a freakin’ bodyguard?”

            “What… _is_ that…thing?” Ash tried to think over the shrieks of Pidgeot and the monster it was trying to peck blind.

            “Bad news,” Aura turned to look at it with a scowl. “And in more ways than one.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Get up!” Aura grabbed the front of his shirt and, with a sharp pull, forced him to stand. The Lucario charged the Returned, which had finally dislodged Pidgeot from its skull, striking it in its chest with a Metal Claw.

            The Returned bellowed in frustration, swiping at Aura. Light blue sparks flew out of the beast’s claws as they struck Aura just above her chest spike.

            Aura stumbled backwards, cursing bitterly. She shook her head, before charging back at the Returned with a Sky Uppercut. The attack made contact with the underside of the beast’s jaw with the clanking sound of teeth colliding.

            Before Aura could even fall back to the Marsh, The Returned pivoted, swinging its tail around and slamming Aura with the spiky end of it. Aura shrieked as the black fire on the tail’s tip ignited her pelt as the force of the blow knocked her away.

            Smoke mushroomed out of the Marsh as Aura fell into the water, the splash accompanied by the hissing sound of fire and water fighting each other for existence.

            “ _AURA!_ ” Ash felt rooted to the spot in horror.

            “Pika-Pika-Pika…!” Pikachu leapt off Ash’s head, dashing at the Returned, sparks of electricity building up in his fur. “PI-KA!” Pikachu slammed into the monster’s side with a Volt Tackle. Pikachu back-flipped away into a safer distance from the recoil.

            _I have to help!_ Ash’s mind jumpstarted. _We have to work_ together! _I’m…I’m the Chosen One!_

            “Rrraaaaaaaargh!” Ash swung his hand, shooting a flurry of stars out of it in a Swift attack.

            The Returned growled in confusion and slowly turned to look at Ash. It blinked repeatedly in a lethargic manner.

            “ _BASTARD!_ ” Aura rose out of the water, yelling and cursing as streams of the muddy liquid poured down from her pelt. “You think you can kill me so _easily_? You think so?” The Lucario yelled in a blind rage, jumping the Returned Charizard, taking it by surprise with a flurry of ThunderPunches.

            The Returned tried to bring down its claws on Aura’s skull, but the Lucario’s barrage was too fast for the counterattack to make contact. The demonic dragon roared at her in annoyance, swiping repeatedly at her.

            “Pidgeot!” Ash yelled. “Help her! Air Slash!”

            “Geeeeeeeoooot!” Pidgeot screamed as he fell from the sky and swiped his wing against the Returned like a sword’s blade.

            “Iron Tail!” Ash smirked.

            “Chuuu…” Pikachu leapt up and flipped, falling back down tail first. “ _PIKA!_ ” Pikachu slammed his glowing tail down onto the Returned’s skull. The Returned staggered backwards, shaking his head.

            “Raaaaargh!” Aura yelled, shooting the purple fire of a Dragon Pulse out of her mouth and into the behemoth’s stomach.

            “Yeah!” Ash cheered. “We’ve got this! Thunder!”

            “Pikaaaaaa…Chuuuuuuuuu!” Pikachu unleashed a large bolt of electricity on the Returned, causing the beast to roar in pain.

            “Not so tough, now, are you?” Aura jumped out of the water and onto a boulder, taunting the Returned with a cocky smirk.  “Yeah, why don’t you go back to your twisted master?”

            “Master?” Ash turned to her. “This _belongs_ to someone?”

            “Face the power of Aura!” The Lucario ignored him. She raised her hands, her smirk deepening.

            Then, suddenly, she yelled out in pain for apparently no reason. She stumbled back, slipping off the boulder and back into the water, completely submerged.

            “ _Aura!_ ” Ash yelled.

            “Ka-Pichu!”

            “Pidgeot! Steel Wing!”

            “Piiiidge!” Pidgeot flew upwards before gliding back straight down, his wings glowing with a silver shine.

            The Returned turned its head sharply, and snapped Pidgeot right out of the air. Pidgeot shrieked briefly from the Returned’s fangs, before it spat him aside.

            The Returned turned back to Ash and Pikachu.

            “Piiii…” Pikachu growled in challenge, his cheeks sparking.

            The Returned roared at him at a massive volume, causing both Pikachu and Ash to flinch in auditory pain.

            “Piika!” Pikachu forced himself to overcome the sound and flung himself at the Returned.

            The Returned slapped him down with a single wing beat.

            “ _PIKACHU!_ ” Ash yelled. “ _NO!_ ”

            He shot another Swift at the monster, but didn’t seem to damage it at all. In fact, it seemed…intrigued, tilting its head at him.

            With another roar, the Returned leapt at Ash, grabbing him in its claws and slamming him back against a large stone. 

            Ash groaned in pain.

            _Not again._

            He looked up at the red eyes, which were now glowing with a ferocity that illuminated its whole face. The fangs were bared in a crude smirk.

            _Chosen One_ , a dark voice echoed in Ash’s mind. _After all these years…I have you now!_

 

…

 

Moonsbane threw his dagger with a howl of rage, the blade imbedding itself into a tree.

            “ _You lying bastard!_ ” Moonsbane yelled, storming around the clearing.

            The Blood-Witch smiled softly to herself.

            _You were right,_ she thought.

            _Never trust the words of a falling man, if he does consider himself to be you enemy. I thought you were just talking funny, but you’re right._

_How does it feel?_ She straightened her expression, but couldn’t help but feel a victory over the Ancient cursing and raging in the clearing. _How does it feel to know that you’ve been so utterly lied to and manipulated? To have been tricked into playing into someone else’s hands, for the purpose of their own…desires?_

_How does it feel to suffer a strike from your own blade?_

Moonsbane yanked his dagger out of the tree’s trunk, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere. In his fury, he barely even noticed when some of them embedded themselves in his hand and arm.

            “ _YOU_ LIED _TO ME!_ ” Moonsbane roared. “ _YOU TOLD ME HE DIED IN CHILDBIRTH!_ YOU _LIED TO_ ME! _AND I_ BELIEVED _YOU!_ ”

            He stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. Calmed down, he opened his eyes, still glowing red in his double Shared Sight.

            “What?” Moonsbane smirked in amusement. “The little red-haired punk has learned how to fight?” He chuckled. “Well, then, I suppose if I don’t have any _real_ use for you, then I should make sure you don’t get in my way. So sorry I don’t have time to handle this properly.... In… _person._ ”

            Moonsbane smirked briefly, as if amused by a personal joke. Then, his expression sobered, and his eyes narrowed

            “Kill him.”

            Moonsbane jerked his head to the left.

            “As for you, you _pathetic_ excuse for a dragon, bring me the Chosen One. Alive.”

            The Blood-Witch’s mouth twitched slightly, as she fought back a frown.

            _Looks like the Traitor’s caught on to your real identity, Chosen One._

The Blood-Witch closed her eyes.

            _May the spirit of Hikaru guide you. May the power of Arceus go with you._

_For the sake of us all._

 

…

 

Silver rose his sword, horizontally blocking his face with the blade.

            Clang!

            The Returned Houndoom’s claws clashed with the falchion. Silver forced the blade upwards against the Returned’s strength.

            “Now!” Silver heard the signal.

            Silver kicked upwards, jabbing the Returned in the ribs with his foot with as much strength as he could muster.

            The Returned yelped as it fell backwards, collapsing onto its side. It shook its head before staggering to its feet, coughing up small amounts of what appeared to be blood.

            It blinked, as its line of vision aligned with a small, black tulip stuck in the ground. It growled in confusion as two more fell from above and landed behind it, forming a triangle around the beast.

            The Returned roared in agony as the tulips shot out bursts of electricity, paralyzing it.

            “Silver!” He heard Domino yell. “Kill it, now!”

            _Right_.

            Silver readjusted his sword in his hand. He gave it a twirl to check that his throbbing wrist would last during the final assault. Then, he dashed forward a few feet, swinging the falchion back in preparation.

            The Returned turned sharply and looked him straight in the eye.

            Silver stopped in his tracks, gaze locked.

            “Silver, what are you waiting for?” Domino yelled from her position, standing on top of a pile of metallic rubble.

            “Sir?” A Grunt asked, gaping at him.

            _Hello, Silver_ , a velvet voice whispered in his mind.

            _Moonsbane._

            _Yes,_ it continued. _It has been a while._

_Murderous bastard._

_She was in my way. No longer._

            Silver twitched at the words.

            The Returned roared at an unbearable volume. Domino and the Grunts clenched their ears and slammed their eyes shut, trying desperately to muffle the sound.

            Silver couldn’t move, trapped in the storm of a memory.

            The Returned roared again, slamming down against the ground with its front paws. Bursts of fire shot up out of the ground in various places surrounding the beast, and the entire mountainside shook violently.

            Silver and the others all stumbled and fell, but Silver could not tear himself from the Returned’s gaze.

            _Silver!_ A feminine voice, faint in the distance of the memory, called out to him. _Run!_

            _You’re still the same, weak, little boy you were three years ago,_ Moonsbane’s voice taunted.

            Red flew at the Returned, striking it with an Air Slash. The Returned growled briefly, and turned to the Scyther, bashing him over the head with its whip-like, barbed tail.

            Red was knocked over into a crumpled heap on the ground.

            “Silver!” Domino’s voice yelled out.

            The Returned leapt onto Red’s failing body, and spat a series of strange, dark orbs at him. The Scyther clenched his eyes and scraped at the ground with his scythes, but made no vocalizations at all.

            _Red…_ Silver struggled to even think, fighting the shadow in his mind–the fear in his heart–for control of his knees.

            Before Silver could succeed, the Returned Houndoom jumped upon him, pinning him back against the ground. Silver’s vision was engulfed in the blaze held in those red eyes, as a flash of gold briefly swirled in them.

            Red lifted his head slightly where he lay, and scraped the ground in Silver’s direction, crushed that he could do no more to protect his Trainer.

            “ _SILVER! NO!_ ”

            _SILVER!_ Mondo’s voice echoed in Silver’s mind.

            _That little punk won’t save you this time!_ Moonsbane seemed to sense the memory.

            _Mondo…where did you go?_

            The Returned yelped as it was suddenly thrown aside by some outside force.

            _WHAT?_ Moonsbane’s rage surged through Silver’s mind.

            Silver slowly stood up, his head heavy and throbbing, using his falchion for support.

            A Marowak was throwing, catching, and throwing its bone at the Returned in a continuous Bonemerang attack. The earth trembled, as a Graveler ripped through the ground, smashing the monster with a Rock Throw.

            _Mondo’s Pokémon!_

            The sudden turn in advantage didn’t last, however; the Returned shot a burst of black energy out of its mouth, hitting the two Pokémon at point-blank range.

            They were knocked into the ground, the air filled with a sickening scent of burning flesh and metal, despite their status as Ground types.

            _No!_

            The Returned turned to Silver again.

            _Shit,_ Silver rose his sword slightly, but found his arms to suddenly be too heavy to move much.

            A howling sound ripped through the night sky.

            _Now what?_ Silver turned slightly to look behind him.

            A canine-like shape was approaching from the mountains, running into the battlefield and illuminating itself in the dying flames as it leapt at the Returned.

            It was a Mightyena, but it was…different. Its pelt was golden, not black, in color, and its eyes were an icy blue, and chilled with a calm fury.

            _A…shiny?_

            Was _this_ the weird Pokémon of local legend? The reason Silver and Domino had been sent to this damned base in the first place?

            Silver fell to his knees, finding himself grateful for the sudden appearance of his mysterious rescuer, whether it had caused his danger or not.

            As the Returned and Mightyena fought tooth and nail, their even strengths allowing neither one to gain an advantage, Silver noticed something else odd. The Mightyena had a scruff of extra fur on the top of his head, which appeared to be dark brown in color.

            The Returned shot its dark blast at the Mightyena, who yelped sharply, but he managed to keep his footing. The Mightyena snarled in a low tone, glaring at the Returned. He snapped at it, grabbing the monster’s leg in a Thunder Fang, electricity sparking noisily from the impact. The Returned howled in pain, swiping at the Mightyena’s face.

            “Silver!”

            Silver felt the arms of someone helping him to stand.

            “Mondo?” He asked groggily.

            “No,” Domino blinked at him. “I sound like Mondo?”

            “What?” Silver’s head throbbed. “Get…off…me.”

            “You’re hurt,” Domino said slowly, as if to a small child. “Don’t you feel it?”

            _Just my head…and my chest._

            Silver clenched his ribcage as the memory of her torn body surged unwilled through his mind.

            _What’s…this?_ Moonsbane’s dark voice whispered in Silver’s mind.

            _Get…out…of…my…_ head! Silver felt rage explode in his chest.

            The Mightyena unleashed the golden light of a Hyper Beam on the Returned, attacking mere inches from the monster’s face. The Returned shrieked in massive pain.

            _Yeah!_ Silver felt a small jolt of joy.

            The Returned stumbled backwards, shaking its head.

            _Don’t think you’ve won, boy_ , Moonsbane’s voice whispered in Silver’s head. _By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you’d never been born._

            The Returned sped off, away into the mountains. As the first drops of a gentle rain began to fall, the Mightyena chased after it, fading into the distance.

            “That…was weird,” Domino said.

            “Get…off,” Silver forced himself out of her grip.

            Silver stumbled forward and tried to find his balance. He over-corrected himself, and found his body swinging backwards out of his control.

            A pair of strong arms caught him before he hit the ground.

            “Go find help,” Mondo’s voice was strangely calm and gentle. “I’ll make sure he holds on.”

            “What?” Silver’s mind felt muddled.

            “You’ve lost quite a bit of blood.”

            “Where?”

            “Your side,” Mondo sounded confused. “You can’t tell me you didn’t notice it bite you.”

            “I…” Silver stammered.

            It _did_ hurt. A lot. But…he seemed to only sort of feel it.

            _Just like…three years ago…_

            _Silver…_ her voice whispered. _You can rest now. You’re safe. I’m here. Rest._

“What?”

            “I said, you can relax, Silver,” Mondo repeated himself. “Elite or not, you’re still human. You’re still mortal. You fought well. Rest.”

            _Sleep._

            Silver thought of the feel of her arms, of the comfort he once found in them as she held him in slumber. How, even though they were both beaten, bloody and raw, they found sanctuary in each other’s company.

            “Are the…others…okay?”

            “They’ll be fine for now,” Mondo chuckled. “Don’t worry.”

            “The Grunts?”

            “They’ll recover.”

            “My…team?”

            “They’ll survive.”

            Silver looked up, to see Mondo’s concerned face, bordered by the dark grey of the storm above. The left side of the teen’s face was stained with the blood of a nasty gash on his forehead. Blood seeped from small cracks in his lips and from a sharp line across one eye. His brown hair was disheveled and tainted a dark red.

            What had _happened_ to him? Where had he _been_?

            Silver felt the soft splashes of the rain on his face. His wounds stung from the water’s contact, but it faded as his world slowly went black.

            All he could feel before he lost all thought, was the throbbing pain in his chest. One that was not born of any single, physical wound.

 

…

 

Ash blinked in sheer terror.

            _Who are you? Why are you in my mind?_

The Returned Charizard loomed over him, tightening his grip on Ash’s limp body.

            _You will know soon enough_ , the dark voice chuckled in his mind.

            The Returned unfurled its wings, filling the air with an ominous wind.

            “ _NO!_ ” Ash heard Aura’s voice yell in anguish. “ _NOOOOO!_ ”

            “ _PIKAPI!_ ”

            “ _ASH!_ ” A new voice cut through the night.

            _Wha…_

            A torrent of water collided with the Returned’s face. The shock of the sudden surprise alone caused the monster to release its hold on Ash.

            “What?” Ash blinked, as he fell back onto the boulder again, sitting waist-deep in the Marsh’s waters.

            “Horsea!” A small, blue Pokémon fell from above into the water in front of Ash.

            “Hor…sea?” Ash said groggily.

            “Pikachu-Pi,” Pikachu breathed next to Ash.

            “Ash!” A humanoid figure appeared on Ash’s other side. “Are you okay?”

            “Misty?” Ash looked up at her.

            “Looks like we’re just in time,” Ash heard Nyx from somewhere on Misty’s other side.

            “Few minutes ago would’ve been nice, too,” Ash heard Aura scoff, sounds of splashing accompanying her voice.

            “Yes,” Ash heard Maeve’s voice above him. He looked up to see her flying above his head as she continued to speak. “It would appear we have attracted his attention after all.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash blinked.

            The Returned roared, having recovered, and swiped its claws at Maeve. The Crobat barely managed to dodge the attack.

            “Explain later!” Aura yelled. “Fight now!”

            _Yep_ , Ash staggered to his feet, watching the Lucario swing continuous Metal Claws at the Returned. _That’s Aura._

            “She’s right,” Nyx nodded in between Shadow Ball attacks. The Shiny Umbreon’s voice was unusually dark.

            Ash felt the ground pulling at him, and stumbled to his knees again. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulder and back, guiding him back to his feet.

            “I’m fine,” Ash looked at Misty. “I don’t need your help.”

            “Of course you don’t,” she chuckled, but didn’t let go.

            “Pi…ka…” Pikachu staggered over to them, shaking his head.

            Nyx shot another Shadow Ball at the Returned Charizard.

            The Returned roared, and fired a dark beam at the Umbreon.

            Nyx leapt to the side, mostly avoiding the attack, with the beam just grazing the side of his hind leg. The Shiny Umbreon groaned slightly upon landing again, but continued his barrage on the Returned.

            “Die!” Aura yelled, slamming a ThunderPunch onto the beast’s wing. “Just. Die. Already!” She beat upon it desperately with a Close Combat.

            Maeve was attacking from above, spitting a series of Sludge Bombs onto the monster.

            “Horsea!” Misty yelled. “Help out with a Bubblebeam!”

            “Sea!” Horsea shot a burst of bubbles at the Returned.

            The Returned turned and looked at the small Water Pokémon. It snorted once, before leaping at him, grabbing his small form and surrounding him entirely in his claws.

            “ _Horsea!_ ” Misty cried out.

            “NO!” Aura barked, before unleashing the purple fire of a Dragon Pulse on the Returned.

            Then, a burst of piercing, white light shone from the gaps in the Returned’s claws.

            _Could it…?_

            “Horsea?” Misty breathed.

            The Returned loosened its grip to see what was happening. The monster was greeted by a massive burst of water as the light faded.

            _Hydro Pump,_ Ash identified the attack.

            The Returned roared in pain, dropping the offender as it stumbled back a few feet.

            “Dra!” The Pokémon that had fought back roared as it splashed back into the Marsh.

            “Horsea…evolved?” Ash blinked.

            “Seadra!” Misty yelled. “Thank God you’re okay,” she muttered to herself. Then she spoke up again. “Hydro Pump again!”

            “Dra!” Seadra obliged with a shout.

            The Returned roared again, and slammed its fists onto the ground. The very earth trembled from the impact, knocking everyone but Maeve over.

            “Enough!” Maeve yelled, and unleashed a bright purple beam from her mouth, hitting the Returned squarely between the eyes.

            Ash and Misty looked up at the Crobat’s attack.

            “What…is that?”

            “A sign,” Nyx coughed somewhere behind them. “A sign that Maeve is highly in-tune with her Element, that she is a very powerful Sage.”

            The Returned roared in agony. It unfurled its wings again.

            _Do not think this is over, Chosen One,_ the dark voice spoke in Ash’s mind. _I_ will _have you soon enough. Know that your friends have now marked themselves for death, for coming between me and my prey._

_I will be watching you,_ it remained strangely calm.

            With a single wing beat, the Returned launched itself into the night sky. The behemoth soon vanished into the darkness.

            “Pikachu, are you alright?” Ash got back on his feet, picking up the Electric Pokémon.

            “ _I…think so,_ ” Pikachu assured him.

            “Pidgeot?”

            “Geeeot,” the bird Pokémon stumbled out of the Marsh.

            “Rest, bud,” Ash recalled him. “I don’t think that a Center will be able to heal those wounds.”

            “They might,” Maeve flew down to face him. “But, you do not want to draw attention to yourself. Not like this. Fortunately, there is a place you can go, nearby the next Temple, where they will not ask questions.”

            “What…the hell…was that thing?” Misty asked, recalling Seadra as she stood back up.

            “A monstrosity,” Maeve said solemnly.

            “Yeah,” Nyx nodded. “It’s very existence is a sin against nature…against life.”

            “It’s a sin against death,” Aura added from behind them.

            “Aura,” Ash stumbled over to her. “Are you okay?”

            “I’m _fine_ ,” she spat.

            “Thank you,” he said, “for helping me.”

            “Whatever,” she scoffed.

            “Why did you…?” Ash started, placing a hand on her shoulder.

            She jerked out of his grip, and sulked away without another word. Before she vanished into the night, Ash noticed that she was clenching her chest.

            “I don’t get it.”

            “We saw her leave,” Misty said. “She wouldn’t tell us why she was leaving the Temple, so we followed her.”

            “Good thing, too,” Nyx nodded. “That monster nearly killed you.”

            “Or worse,” Maeve added.

            “What _was_ it, though?” Ash asked again. “It looked like a Charizard, but….”

            “It was one…once,” Maeve said. “But, now is not the time to explain. We must return to the Temple, and heal our collective wounds.”

            “But,” Ash started.

            “You’ll sleep better not knowing,” Nyx insisted.

            “O…okay,” Ash rubbed his head.

            Why did his head hurt so much?

            Who was that voice?

            And, why did it fill Ash with a primal fear he didn’t know was possible to feel?

 

…

 

“So,” Moonsbane blinked, his eyes returning to their normal, blue-green color. “Young Ashura…you are alive after all. Arrogant, determined, convinced that you’re fearless, and still so ignorant,” Moonsbane chuckled. “You are definitely the son of Gyles. Your father’s lie might have protected you for sixteen years, but it will protect you no longer.

            “The lie you grew up with will be your end.”

            Moonsbane looked up to the sky.

            “I think it’s time I left,” he mused.

            _So do I,_ the Blood-Witch scowled from her shelter. _Unfortunately, once you leave, the Chosen One will be in even_ more _danger than before._

            “As for you…son of Giovanni,” Moonsbane sat back down with a smirk. “Perhaps I condemned you too soon. After all, if the son of Rayne is so determined to keep you alive that he would come out of hiding to protect you…then there must be something special about you after all.”

            Moonsbane chuckled darkly.

            “Indeed, you have a swirling power within, the unfocused emotions raging in your heart.

            “I gave you those emotions, I granted you that power. I see that now. Now, I see the perfect opportunity I had never imagined. This could not have gone more perfectly if I had planned for it myself.

            “I will have to develop your power, and teach you to focus your rage, your hunger for strength, your thirst for revenge.

            “Your pain.”

 

…

 

Ash rubbed his shoulder delicately.

            “You must go, now, Chosen One.” Maeve insisted. “If you remain, we will be overrun by Returned before nightfall.”

            They stood outside the eastern wall of the Marsh. The sun was rising behind them, as they face the wall, where Maeve was perched.

            “What _was_ that thing?” Ash repeated.

            “What _are_ the Returned?” Misty nodded.

            “And, how do you know about them?” Ash added to Aura.

            The Lucario pulled on her jacket and looked pointedly away, refusing to speak.

            “We do not have time to explain,” the Sage shook her head. “You may ask Nyx for answers when it is safe to be given them. You must be in a calm, protected place, yet guaranteed that no human, beyond yourselves, may hear.”

            “Why?”

            “There are vile things, ancient things, in this world that humans no longer know of or believe in.”

            “And that…?” Ash started.

            “You must leave now,” Maeve stressed. “Their master is relentless. He will certainly be hunting you now. You cannot remain in one place for too long. Unless he feels directly threatened by your presence, he will be convinced that your capture is inevitable and easy to perform.”

            “Then, why did he give up last night?” Aura asked.

            “When I used my Elemental Beam,” Maeve started, “it became clear that Ash’s life could be lost in the struggle to…get us out of the way. He needs Ash alive…the Traitor knows that he must kill the Chosen One himself. This is your most useful weapon. Learn to use it to keep your companions safe, young Ashura.”

            “The Traitor?” Ash blinked. “He’s alive? Odin said….”

            “What?” Misty turned to him. “You _know_ something about this?”

            “Figures,” Aura scoffed.

            “Leave!” Maeve yelled, cutting their conversation short. “You must travel to the region of Orre. The Ground Temple is somewhere in the desert of those lands, north of the human settlement known as Pyrite. In Pyrite, you will also find a place to rest without judgment or suspicion. Go now, and may the grace of Arceus protect you all.”

            The Crobat flew off without another word.

            “She’s right,” Nyx nodded. “I’ll explain everything when we’re safe again. We’ll be lucky to get to Pyrite without anyone taking too much notice of our bandages. We can regroup properly when we’re there, and we can talk about what happened last night in the Ground Temple. We’ll be safer there.”

            “He’s right,” Aura nodded. “So long as he thinks you’re alive, he’ll never stop hunting you. And…we’re all in danger now, for protecting you.”

            “Aura,” Ash started.

            “How ironic,” she spat, before running off to the East, into the sunrise.

            “She’s got the right idea,” Nyx nodded. “We have to go, to the nearest town with an airport or a seaport. Anything. We have to get away!” The Umbreon ran off after her.

            “I don’t understand what’s going on,” Ash shook his head.

            “Do you ever?” Misty asked. “All I know is that Horsea evolved, and we have a monstrous nightmare after us. Really, Ash, it’s not like we haven’t been in deep trouble we didn’t understand before.”

            “There’s something different this time,” Ash insisted. “I just _know_ that I should know what it is this time, but I _don’t_.”

            “We’ll know soon enough, Ash,” Misty said. “But, Maeve’s right. We have to go. We can’t endanger them by staying too long.”

            “You still up to this?” Ash asked. “I mean, if being around me is a deathtrap…”

            “It’s not the first time being your friend has been the equivalent of a death wish,” Misty chuckled.

            “Yeah, but…”

            “Let’s go, before they get too far ahead,” Misty dashed off after the shrinking images of Aura and Nyx in the distance.

            “Well, I tink,” Jerzy’s voice started from Ash’s pack.

            “Shut up,” Ash gave his backpack a jerk.

            “ _She’s right,_ ” Pikachu nodded. “ _Everything always turns out okay when you’re around, so don’t be so afraid._ ” The Electric Pokémon leapt down from Ash’s head.

            “I’m not afraid of anything,” Ash retorted automatically.

            “ _Then, let’s go already!_ ” Pikachu dashed off after the others.

            Ash glanced backwards to the wall of the Marsh.

            _What do you want with me?_

_And, why did you wait until now to attack me?_

            With a sigh, Ash turned and ran after the others, vanishing into the horizon.


	20. Reactions

Silver kicked over a warped piece of metal siding.

            The sun beat down on his bowed head, casting deep shadows over his eyes.

            “We’ve managed to find roughly twenty or so…corpses,” a Grunt said behind him. “They were all…too incinerated to confirm their identities, however.”

            “Couldn’t you just figure out who’s _missing_?” Silver turned back to the Grunt, eyebrows raised.

            “Uh…right.” The Grunt nodded. “I…I could do that. Yeah.”

            The Grunt didn’t move, staring at Silver.

            “ _Go!_ ” Silver eventually yelled, pointing at a nearby warehouse.

            “Right.” The Grunt nodded before running off.

            “Incompetent…” Silver growled, his thoughts trailing off.

            He looked back over to the ruins of the destroyed warehouse. Several Grunts were digging through the rubble, piling the metal into groups of what could be salvaged and what would be discarded. One Grunt reached under an immovable slab of metal, and pulled out what appeared to be a long piece of discolored charcoal. The Grunt dropped it with a high-pitched shriek when he realized it was a scorched arm, and he fell backwards from fright.

            “We got another body over here!” a nearby Grunt yelled.

            Silver approached the scene.

            “Sir!” The fallen Grunt saluted awkwardly.

            “Get up!” Silver barked.

            “Sir!” the Grunt repeated, bolting to his feet.

            “What?” Silver felt what remained of his patience slip away.

            “Elite 009 has ordered… er, requested that you speak to her in the base beneath Warehouse Four.”

            Silver ignored him for a moment, his eye catching a small metallic glint. He knelt down to find a charred belt with a single Pokéball on it. The ‘ball was almost completely black from the explosion, and there was a large crack in it that revealed the technology within.

            _Whatever was in this,_ Silver thought solemnly, _I pray to God didn’t feel pain as its life energy was eradicated from existence._

_We will count the numbers of the humans that died last night. But what of the Pokémon, the beasts that so loyally followed their vile masters?_

_Who will remember them?_

            “Elite Silver?”

            Silver put the half-destroyed Pokéball in his jacket pocket.

            “Get back to work.” Silver stood back up, and turned to a nearby warehouse. When he reached it, he looked at the number pad by the large door.

            _Of course,_ he sighed. _No one bothered to tell me the combination to_ this _entrance._

            He looked up at the overhang of the roof.

            _This is the main entrance for the Grunts. It would have to be simple._

            He looked back at the pad, blinking.

            _Please, God, let me be wrong_.

            One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

            Bing!

            The door began to slowly open, groaning as the metal plates rose.

            _Really?_ Really? Silver grimaced. _I would feel so much cleverer if I didn’t solely do that because everyone else in the Team is apparently_ stupid _. God, how have we managed to survive as an Organization for so long?_

_Because the higher-ups actually have brains,_ a velvet voice whispered in his mind.

            Silver shook his head, entering the warehouse.

            “Silver!” Mondo ran up to him from the elevator. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

            “I’ll rest when that _monstrosity_ is rotting in Hell,” Silver scowled. “And when its master is there with it.”

            “Silver,” Mondo shook his head. “You can’t live out of revenge.”

            “Why?”

            “It will destroy you.”

            “I think it already has.”

            Mondo looked at Silver, but didn’t respond.

            “Domino wanted to see me?” Silver eventually said in as level a voice as he could muster.

            “Uh, yeah,” Mondo nodded. “She’s down with Professor Sebastian.” Mondo limped over to the elevator. “I’ll…yeah,” he trailed off.

            _I didn’t notice the limp last night,_ Silver mused. _What the_ hell _happened to him?_

            Silver followed Mondo into the elevator. Silver caught their reflections in the metallic walls as Mondo pressed the button for their destination.

            Mondo had a square piece of white gauze taped to his forehead, just above his right eye, the shadow of blood still visible in it. The skin around the gauze was still stained a slight reddish hue from the wound. His hair was cleaner than the previous night, but still mildly disheveled. He had a white bandage of some sort covering the left side of his lower lip, and a cotton ball was still stuck up one nostril.

            “You look like hell,” Silver said flatly.

            “Have you seen yourself?” Mondo chuckled. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

            Silver looked at his own reflection.

            His shoulder had the clear padding of bandages underneath the patched jacket. His shirt had small puncture holes on his right side revealing the crude bandages that still had spots of blood from the Returned’s barbed-tail attack. On his left side, the jacket had been sewn back together, but the shirt underneath was still mildly shredded, showing the massive amount of gauze and bandages that were almost entirely stained with the dark red of the high quantity of blood he had lost there the previous night. His face was bruised, and he had a nasty gash on his chin that had been crudely cleaned and left untreated and without any bandages.

            “I’ve looked better,” Silver admitted. “I’ve looked worse, too.”

            “Good point.”

            “I’m alive,” Silver pointed out.

            “I’m starting to think you _can’t_ die.”

            “I hope not,” Silver said darkly.

            Mondo blinked at him, but said nothing as the elevator reached its destination with a soft _bing_!

            “Where are they?” Silver asked, stepping out into the hallway.

            “They _were_ right here,” Mondo followed after him.

            The hallway could have been taken directly from an office complex; there was nothing about the cream-colored walls or wooden doors to suggest that it was underground at all, let alone the underground base of a criminal organization. An occasional potted plant rested near the wall.

            _Probably fake,_ Silver grimaced. _No way anyone would give enough of a damn to actually take care of a plant._

_No one even cares about the fallen Pokémon,_ he reminded himself.

            _Well,_ he grabbed at his necklace through his shirt. _No one but me._

            “The patrol will be stationed–” A feminine voice spoke as a door halfway down the hall opened.

            _Domino,_ Silver’s scowl deepened as the Elite emerged with the Scientist.

            “Silver!” She noticed them. “We were hoping that you were awake.”         

            “Oh, yeah,” Silver said dryly. “You know, I have near-death experiences all the time. Just patch me up, toss me a coffee and I’m good to go.”

            “And suddenly, I’m working with the Elite young Giovanni again,” Sebastian said calmly.

            “Excuse me?” Silver’s voice darkened.

            “Your father was just as sarcastic at your age as–”

            “I’m _nothing_ like my father,” Silver insisted. “At any age. At any time.”

            Mondo sighed.

            _If only you knew how wrong you are_ , Mondo shook his head. _And yet, how completely right you are, too._

            Silver exhaled.

            “You wanted to talk to me?” He managed in as level a tone as he could muster with Domino.

            “Yes,” she nodded. “Our report to Giovanni on…on last night wasn’t…wasn’t very well-received.”        

            “He’s furious,” Sebastian said flatly.

            “I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth,” Silver started, “but, he’s right.”

            They blinked at him.

            “You all stood by and did nothing as a building exploded and your loyal teammates within died a horrific death,” Silver found his voice to be oddly calm. “You simply watched as a _teenager_ took on an extremely powerful, unnatural behemoth. It took my almost being killed before even _you_ snapped out of your senses.” Silver looked at Mondo. “And, where the _hell_ were you?”

            “That beast wasn’t alone, Silver,” Mondo said. “It had back-up. It nearly intercepted _you_ , as you ran back to base, to be honest.”

            “You fought one of those things off _yourself_?” Domino sounded impressed. “It took us two Elites and a squad of Grunts!”

            “No,” Mondo shook his head. “My team helped out a lot,” Mondo looked sideways at Silver, “I have to give them credit.” He chuckled. “Though, I _do_ have some experience with blades, particularly daggers.”

            “Are you sure you’re an Agent?” Sebastian asked. “You certainly don’t _act_ like one, especially with your superiors.”

            “The report?” Silver interrupted. He really wasn’t in the mood to hear about how Agents were supposed to act, or about the hierarchy of Team Rocket in general.

            “Oh, yeah,” Domino nodded. “He said that he still expects a proper report on our mission by the end of the week. He’s also ordered me to widen our patrols and increase their frequency. I’m about to lead one, myself.”

            “I’ll–” Silver started.

            “He also said that you’re to remain on base and oversee the recovery operation.”

            “What.”

            “He wants proof that the remains of the…incident are completely taken care of by the end of the week, when we give him our report.”

            “ _What?_ ” Silver repeated. “You’re _joking_. He wants me to _stay here?_ He wants me to play _babysitter?_ That’s busy work! I’m an Elite, I should be out there, doing something that actually makes a _damned difference_!” Silver raged.

            “Silver,” Mondo said quietly.

            “Be reasonable,” Domino said calmly. “You barely survived last night. You need to recover.”

            “ _Recover_?” Silver yelled. “To _hell_ with that! It didn’t matter any _other_ time I nearly died! I…” Silver’s voice trailed off, hands balling into fists.

            _Please, don’t lash out._ Mondo held his breath. _We don’t need infighting._

            “You!” Silver pointed past them, to a small group of Grunts that had walked out of a nearby room.

            “S-sir?” One of the Grunts asked nervously.

            “Come with me,” Silver said angrily. “And, you too,” he added to Sebastian.

            “Me?”

            “ _Yes,_ ” Silver growled. “I know _just_ how you can make yourself _useful_. Or, do you have something better than to follow orders from your Elite, _Professor_?” He emphasized the difference in rank.

            “Yes, _sir_ ,” the scientist spoke the second word with a heavy dose of resentment, but obeyed.

            “Silver,” Mondo said softly.

            “Shut up!” Silver snapped at him.

            Mondo looked taken aback, but said nothing.

            Silver turned to the Grunts, one hand clutching at his head.

            “That was _not_ a _request!_ ” He yelled at them. “ _NOW!_ ”

            With nervous yelps, the Grunts quickly followed him into the elevator and back up to the surface.

            Mondo watched with a sad expression, as he found himself suddenly abandoned, left alone with Domino.

            “Silver…” Mondo sighed. “His headaches are getting worse.”

            “You would know,” Domino said flatly.

            “What is that supposed to mean?”

            “You don’t have to be so possessive. Silver’s not exactly a cuddly Buneary.”

            “What is _that_ supposed to mean?” Mondo narrowed his eyes.

            “Everyone knows you’re in love with him.”

            “What,” Mondo’s voice flat-lined. “Silver? What?” He blinked at her. “That’s not it. At all.”

            “Right,” Domino wasn’t convinced. “There’s nothing _wrong_ with–”

            “No, you don’t understand,” Mondo shook his head, chuckling. “I… have a girlfriend.”

            “What?” Domino blinked at him. “A Grunt? Or another Agent?”

            “She’s…not a Rocket.”

            “What.”

            “You’re not the only one who operates outside of the Team from time to time,” Mondo looked away. He started to walk towards the elevator.

            _Maybe if I can get him to send out his Totodile… that usually calms him down._

            “How old _are_ you?” Domino cut through his thoughts.

            “How old are _you_?” Mondo stopped and half-turned to face her.

            “I asked _you_ ,” Domino said firmly. “Answer the question.”

            “Is that an order, Elite 009?”

            She narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

            Mondo sighed.

            “I honestly don’t know. You lose track of the years after a while.”

            “When was the last time you saw your…girlfriend?”

            “I’m not entirely sure of that either.”

            “How do you know…?”

            “Birds of a feather,” Mondo said simply.

            “What are you?”

            “A fool and an idiot who never grew up,” Mondo half-smiled. “And now,” he sobered, “the innocent must pay for my mistakes.”

            “What do you mean?”

            Mondo didn’t speak, looking at the floor.

            “Why are you so… interested in Silver then?”

            “He’s my responsibility.”

            “Because you saved his life before?” Domino asked.

            “No.”

            “Then, you don’t really care about him.”

            “I never said that,” Mondo looked up at her. “He’s the closest thing to family I have left in this… in the Team.”

            A silence followed for several minutes, as Domino tried to make sense of what she’d learned.

            “I suppose you didn’t really grow up in the Team, then,” she said. “That was… some sort of clever trick.”

            “You did,” Mondo responded gently.

            “Yeah,” Domino nodded.

            “Weren’t you an orphan that Giovanni’s mother took in just before her death?” Mondo asked.

            “Yes… and no,” Domino reluctantly admitted.

            “Oh?”

            “I was orphaned,” She started to clarify. “But…it wasn’t an accident that caused it, contrary to the… more _public_ Team records.”

            “I see. You’ve taken a page out of Silver’s book.”

            “Not exactly,” Domino said. “He left the terminal without erasing his tracks once. It was still…hacked into Giovanni’s private files. So many secrets, so many conspiracies revealed in those files. I thought… I thought I could learn something I could use, that I could manipulate my situation with. I wanted something that would allow me a loophole, to become Giovanni’s heir instead of Silver.”

            “Why not?” Mondo nodded. “He clearly doesn’t want it. Never has. Never will.”

            “What I found…honestly didn’t bother me at first.”

            Mondo looked at her.

            “Giovanni’s mother… was a vile, destructive, manipulative bitch.”

            “Some might say the same about you,” Mondo reminded her.

            “I never killed anyone,” Domino defended herself. “I never kidnapped nearly a dozen young, healthy men, women, and mature teens from their distant homeland… so that my top Elites and I could… procreate.” Domino sounded uncomfortable. “I—I do have standards.”

            “Of course.”

            “But this…. An—and me.” Her solid tone began to break down.

            “Yes?”

            “She killed my parents and took me from them,” she said softly. “I wasn’t even a year old. She singled them out, choosing the healthiest, yet least publically known couple she could. She wanted a child that would grow to be strong and nimble. She wanted a new mind to mold, to become exactly like she was. She wanted a new heir. She… died before I could ever be named as such.”

            “And Giovanni took over, bringing Silver along with him,” Mondo added.

            “Yes. But… even after I learned this… I never once resented Silver for his presence, for taking that from me.”

            “He had no choice, either.”

            “I tried everything to become a better choice, to find any loophole, but….”

            “But?” Mondo raised an eyebrow.

            “I could never bring myself to kill Silver. It was an easy, obvious solution. But _somehow_ , I couldn’t.”

            “He had something in common with you,” Mondo suggested. “You both grew up in the Team. From infancy. Few ever have. Even before your cold demeanor began to thaw, you still had _some_ humanity in you.”

            “But… I never understood their devotion to each other,” Domino continued. “It seemed silly to me. I thought they were bringing each other down. Then….”

            “That night,” Mondo nodded.

            “I was giving a report to Giovanni…when you burst into his office, dragging Silver with you. I thought he was dead at first, and you were certainly hysterical enough for it to be possible. I never thought I could be… upset at seeing someone possibly dead until that moment.

            “But… that was nothing,” Domino shook her head, “ _nothing_ compared to what I felt upon seeing Silver’s grief. He was barely alive. He could barely even _stand_ , but he was yelling and cursing at his father, blaming him for this… loss. And yet, for all his rage, it was clear that, at that moment, he didn’t want revenge. He didn’t _want_ to fight or argue or—or anything. It was just all he had left. What he wanted was…”

            “Was _her_.” Mondo nodded. “If she’d survived, it wouldn’t have been different from any other time a thug or biker or arrogant Grunt used him as a punching bag.”

            “I didn’t understand,” Domino looked at the floor. “I couldn’t figure out why he wanted someone who was dead to come back. I didn’t understand why he missed her… that he even _could_. I tried to figure out what was different between us, what had caused this _difference_ in viewpoints. And I realized… we both grew up in the Team, but I grew up alone.”

            “I thought Dagger helped care for the both of you,” Mondo tilted his head in mild confusion.

            “Yes, but… Silver was Giovanni’s son. _Is_ his son. Of course he’d be more… partial to him. And Dagger…. I was already a toddler when Silver was brought in. Dagger didn’t wholly understand that humans age and grow in a completely different way from most Pokémon. He thought I was a lost cause, that Giovanni’s mother had already… influenced my mind.”

            “And, because he gave up, he ended up being right,” Mondo mused.

            “I went on to become one of the youngest Grunts, and I adapted to survive as such. As I grew older, the danger I was in increased. As a young woman, there were certain… threats I had to be more prepared against than if I were male.”

            Mondo nodded.

            “So,” Domino continued. “I became a cold, calculating, self-serving weapon. Silver, on the other hand, was raised as the Baron’s son, and was allowed his young bodyguard. She had always been fiercely protective of him, but as the years went on, they became more attached to each other. He was all she had, and he thought the same of her.”

            “He was wrong, of course.” Mondo nodded, “but sometimes it’s hard to see in the dark.”

            “It wasn’t until a few days after she—she died, that I figured it out. He’d had a friend, someone to rely on; I’d only ever relied on myself. He trusted her; I trusted no one. They made each other stronger, allowed each other to survive in a world that would have killed them on their own. I—I realized what that meant.”   

            “It took Silver’s grief, his heartache, to teach you what love is,” Mondo said softly.

            “I was… probably about fifteen when she died. When this happened. I wasn’t much younger than Silver is now, in any case. And I had suddenly realized that I had been unloved all my life, that no one had ever really given a shit about me.

            “And, somehow, I cared. For the first time, I wanted to feel a connection to someone.”

            “And Silver had just gained something further in common with you,” Mondo concluded.

            “And, because of how long it took me to… become _human_ … Silver will never accept that.”

            “He might.” Mondo shook his head.

            “How do you know I’m not lying.” Domino narrowed her eyes again. “You’ve accepted everything I’ve said without question. How do you know I’m not manipulating you, trying to get more of your secrets out?”

            “Because,” Mondo smiled sadly. “I saw your face that night. I saw the confusion in your eyes. I saw the revelations you made over the weeks that followed.” Mondo turned back to the elevator, and pressed the call button. “Because,” he continued in a low voice, just barely audible to Domino. “Despite his rebuffs and anger, despite his refusal to accept your similarities, you’ve still become an important figure in his life. Despite how much easier it would be to just kill him and be rid of your confusing, new emotions, you still care about him. You still try to reach out and connect. You don’t give up, because he’s more than just someone whose situation you can understand now. Even in this dark hell, you’ve found light.” The elevator opened.

            “Even though he may never fully accept your friendship, deep down, you’ve still grown to love him.”

            Before she could respond, Mondo entered the elevator, and pressed the button for the surface. As it began to rise, he stumbled over to the wall opposite the door, and leaned his head and forearm against it.

            _This is all my fault._

 

…

 

Ash looked around in nervous suspicion, clenching his mug close to him.

            “Ash, stop fidgeting,” Aura groaned.

            “I don’t like this place,” he muttered so only they could hear.

            They were seated at a rusted, metal table with a series of mismatched cloths to cover it for the plates of food that were placed haphazardly on it in front of them. The building consisted of mostly just the main room, a rusty dining area furnished out of the inside of what appeared to be a rusted-out, old train engine.

            _Everything in this town is rusted and old,_ Ash frowned. _No one judges your actions here, because everyone is just scraping by. No wonder half the city seems to be some sort of criminal or another._

            “I don’t like this food,” Jerzy clawed at his own plate, staring at the pile of blackened hash browns and ham.

            “Shut up and eat it,” Aura growled at him.

            “You see that guy over by the door?” Ash grumbled over his mug of soda. “Near the bar?”

            _At least the actual plates and mugs are ceramic. Ceramics can’t rust._

_Or, can they?_

            “What about him?” Misty’s voice next to him cut through his thoughts.

            There was a young man standing next to the rustic bar, leaning back against the wall. He was tall and had a mildly wide set of shoulders. He wore a long, blue jacket, which just parted enough at the bottom to reveal his dark pants. His short, spiky hair was a grey, dusty blonde that made the desert sands outside look fertile, and he appeared to have a white stripe tattoo across his face, just over his nose.

            _Or maybe it’s a scar._

            “Is it just me, or is he staring right at us?” Ash asked quietly.

            “What?” Aura blinked on the other side of the table. She started to turn.

            “No, don’t look at him,” Ash startled her out of it. “Don’t encourage him.”

            “Ash, we’re the only ones here,” Misty reasoned with him. “He’s probably just not used to outsiders. This region as a whole doesn’t get a lot of them.”

            “Not anymore,” Aura nodded. “Not since Cipher terrorized the area.”

            “I heard about that,” Ash nodded. “Weren’t they finally disbanded?”

            “Twice,” Misty chuckled.

            “Humans,” Aura scoffed.

            “At least they were willing to heal Pidgeot without any questions,” Misty reminded Ash, ignoring the Lucario’s mumbled curses.

            “That’s probably because of the increasing number of strange attacks reported in this region, particularly in the outskirts,” Nyx offered.

            “The Returned?” Ash asked in a low voice.

            “I don’t know,” Nyx admitted.

            “Wouldn’t surprise me,” Misty said. “But then, Cipher did some terrible things to Pokémon. It could just be the fallout from that.”

            “Either way, it was enough to get this guy to move his station and restaurant from the desert to _Pyrite_ ,” Aura grumbled. “Then, I remember this place being much more preferable to what lies beneath it.”

            “What’s under Pyrite?” Ash looked at her.

            “The Under,” Aura muttered. “Pyrite’s polar opposite.”

            “How do you mean?” Nyx asked.

            “Pyrite’s rough in appearance,” Aura sighed. “Everything’s rusted or old, or just appears to be falling apart or made of scraps.”

            “Except for the News building,” Ash added.

            Aura glared at him briefly, before continuing.

            “But, despite the rough appearance, despite the fact that it’s populated with outcasts and thugs and former criminals, Pyrite is actually relatively safe. People are happy here, despite the rough appearance. Or maybe because of it. I don’t know; humans never made much sense to me.

            “Anyway, the local thugs known as Cipher were driven out of here relatively easily, but they retreated into the Under. The Under is an underground, night-life styled city directly beneath us. It used to be a mining town, but it has since become a place for scum to retreat to. As well as those with nowhere else to go.”

            “I thought Pyrite was…” Ash started.

            “Biker gangs aren’t inherently evil, Ash,” Aura retorted. “And neither are ruffians or thugs or outcasts.

            “But, in the Under, crime can escape much easier. In its darkness, even a Pokémon can pass themselves off as a normal human. You know that no one is as they seem, but you cannot even begin to guess the sins that lie just beneath the skins of those around you.”

            “Who would go to the Under?” Ash asked. “Even criminals sound like they’d be in danger.”

            “Like she said,” Misty repeated, “people who have no place else to go.”

            “I once considered going there,” Aura admitted softly. “It wasn’t my top choice, but it was one of the best options I had for sheer safety of my immediate… escape.”

            “Why didn’t you?” Misty asked.

            “I—I…” Aura stammered. “It wasn’t the best choice for… _all_ involved. _I_ would’ve made it here easily enough, but… I wasn’t alone. There was too much risk involved with… that.”

            Ash looked at the Lucario, who was studying the pattern of the tablecloth, with narrowed eyes.

            “Aura…”

            “Finish buying our supplies,” Aura stood up suddenly, nearly knocking Nyx over. “Meet me at the lamppost at the edge of town in one hour. I….”

            She walked away, leaving the small diner without even finishing her sentence.

            “She’s been to Orre before?” Ash blinked.

            “Possibly,” Misty shrugged, twirling her fork. “Or she read a lot about it, or knew someone who did.”

            “Either one suggests she knew someone powerful or wealthy,” Nyx said.

            “ _Or educated_ ,” Pikachu added in a groggy tone from Ash’s other side.

            “Or a Trainer.” Ash nodded.

            “I guess we should go buy supplies,” Misty admitted. “I mean we’re going out into the _desert_. We need to be prepared. Ash, you should….”

            But, Ash wasn’t listening anymore. All he could focus on was the stranger on the other end of the refurbished engine. All he could see was his burning, amber eyes, as he seemed to bare right through Ash and into his mind.

 

…

 

“You’re an idiot,” Aura growled at Ash.

            “How was _I_ to know that you guys didn’t buy the water?” Ash responded.

            “ _I_ told _you_ to buy it, Ash!” Misty exasperated. “You _never_ pay attention!”

            “I pay attention!”

            “Clearly not! You were too fixated on that guy at the diner! Just _once_ , could we travel somewhere without _something_ going wrong?”

            Sand swirled in a light wind around them. Pikachu stood up on Ash’s head, looking around in a circle, finding nothing but more sand in all directions, except for a distant mountain to the North.

            “Um,” Nyx started.

            “We’re going to _die_ out here,” Aura grumbled.

            “Why didn’t _you_ buy any extra water?” Ash asked her. “You left before we decided to buy supplies.”

            “I left you guys to handle that, remember?” Aura placed one hand on her forehead. “I had something else to take care of.”

            “Where did you go?” Nyx asked.

            “A dead end.”

            “What do you-?”

            “Doesn’t…matter…” Aura shook her head.

            _Water…_

The Lucario coughed.

            “Aura?” Misty grabbed the Lucario by the shoulders. “Aura!”

            The Lucario didn’t respond, closing her eyes and going limp.

            “You have Water Pokémon!” Ash made a realization.

            “I’m _not_ subjecting my team to this heat!” Misty yelled at him. “They’ll dry out faster than they can take care of us! Besides, we need someplace shaded, sheltered from the sun.”

            “What?” Ash gaped at her. “Why didn’t you tell-?”

            “I _did_!”

            “Guys?” Nyx stumbled behind them. “…Guys?”

            “I swear to God, Ash, if you weren’t such an…an idiot!” Misty staggered through her rage.

            “G…guys…” Nyx collapsed into the sand.

            “ _Nyx!_ ” Pikachu noticed, before falling backwards off of Ash’s head.

            “Pikachu!” Ash yelled out, catching the electric rodent in his arms.

            “Ash…” Misty dropped Aura, faltering to her knees.

            “Misty!” Ash knelt, reaching to her with one arm while holding onto Pikachu with the other. His chest tightened as she collapsed against him, unconscious.

            A strange sound roared in the distance.

            Ash turned to face the direction the sound came from.

            A small speck grew larger, approaching them.

            Ash felt the ground pull at him, clenching his eyes shut to keep out the sand as he fell to the ground.

            The roaring, rumbling sound engulfed Ash’s senses. He opened his eyes enough to see the blurred shape of…something walking in front of him.

            “I think they’re still alive!” A masculine voice yelled over the powerful, rumbling sound.

            Ash let the darkness consume his world.

 

…

 

“Wake up, Chosen One,” Aura’s voice pulled at Ash’s consciousness.

            Ash felt the splash of water on his face, jerking him back to the world of the living.

            “Where am I?” Ash blinked, the water blurring his vision.

            “An underground oasis, out in the desert to the north of Pyrite,” a strange voice answered. “Orre Region.”

            _The voice…from before?_

            “Who… are you?” Ash blinked the water out of his eyes.

            The speaker was a tall, youthful man with chin-length, purple hair and narrow, amethyst eyes. He wore a knee-length, white jacket over a black shirt, mauve pants, and black, clunky shoes. A belt was loosely wrapped around his waist, six Pokéballs clinging to it. He stood over Ash, relief clear in his eyes.

            “My name is Justy,” he identified himself, smiling. “I’m the Leader of the Prestige Precept Center, the unofficial Gym of Phenac City.”

            “Azumarill!” His Pokémon said cheerfully.

            “You’re lucky we found you.”

            Ash observed his surroundings. He and the others were in some sort of brown, stone cave, a small stream of water gurgling into a shallow pool in the far end. In the opposite end, sunlight poured in from the mouth of the cave. He saw Aura standing next to Justy, and he started to turn to look for the others.

            “How _stupid_ are you?” Another voice barked, as a new figure pulled him up by his shoulders, dragging him forcefully to his feet. “You went out into the Orre desert without water? Do you have a death wish?” Amber eyes locked with Ash’s dark blue.

            _The stranger from the diner._

_Did he follow us?_

            “Wes,” Justy sighed. “Put the boy down and let him breathe. He hasn’t even told us his name.”

            “Aura?” Ash asked nervously. “H…help?”

            The stranger– _Wes?_ –put Ash down, but continued to glare at him.

            “I—I’m Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. K—Kanto.”

            “I told you that.” Misty’s voice sounded from behind Wes.

            “I apologize,” Justy took her hand as Wes backed away. “We have had too many mysterious incidents lately to trust anyone at their word. Even those as beautiful as yourself.”

            “I… uh…” Misty pulled away, blushing.

            Ash scowled.

            “Why would the dolt’s name convince you of our innocence?” Aura added.

            “How do you know we’re not lying _now_?” Nyx asked. The Shiny Umbreon had sand scattered through his pelt.    

            Justy and Wes exchanged a glance.

            “Are you?” Wes turned to glare at Aura.

            “No,” Ash shook his head. “I’m registered in the Pokémon League Conference. My photo’s on my record. You can look it up.”

            “I’m a registered Gym Leader,” Misty nodded. “I’ve been in charge of the Cerulean Gym for a little over three years, now.”

            “Ah, a fellow Gym Leader,” Justy smiled at her, causing Misty to look away pointedly.

            Ash subconsciously crossed his arms.

            Aura smirked.

            “We’ve been pursuing a strange, cloaked figure.” Wes ignored them. “It’s been seen in the Under, and people there have reported hearing a strange voice in their heads.”

            “Whoever or whatever they are,” Justy nodded, “they have highly developed Psychic powers, that’s for sure.”

            Ash and Misty exchanged glances, but said nothing.

            “We’re working to keep the remains of Cipher from unifying again,” Justy continued. “We’re just keeping an eye out for anyone that might be an ally.”

            “Or a threat,” Wes added.

            “I think that it’s safe to say that we’re not eager to bring Cipher back,” Aura muttered.

            “What _are_ you doing here?”

            “An old friend of ours sent for us,” Aura lied quickly. “He told us to meet him in a… classified location north of here. We promised to not divulge its location.”

            “We can respect your need for secrecy,” Justy smiled.

            “But, if you betray our trust.” Wes glared at her, “we will hunt you down and—!”

            “ _I_ have _never_ betrayed those that trusted me!” Aura snarled at him. “I have been beaten, tortured, neglected, and betrayed myself, but I would _never_ turn on those I’ve sworn to protect!”

            “Am I missing something?” Ash muttered to Misty, walking between her and Justy.

            “I’m not the one that turned traitor,” Aura growled.

            “My reputation precedes me,” Wes chuckled darkly. “I did what they considered to be wrong to do what I _knew_ was right.”

            “How many murderers have spoken those words?” Aura narrowed her eyes.

            “Alright,” Justy walked between them. “I can see we’re not going to be able to stick together.”

            “What.” Aura blinked at him.

            “We have left you with more than enough water for several days,” Justy pointed to a pile of canteens in one corner of the cave.

            “Try not to squander it,” Wes scowled.

            They headed towards the cave exit.

            “It would be best if you waited until nightfall to travel again,” Justy half-turned back. “It’ll be cold at night, but it’s better than the sun and thirst killing you. Tell your friend that Justy of Phenac wishes him well.” He gave Aura and Ash each a curt nod. He turned to Misty. “Take care of yourself, miss.” He took her hand and kissed it lightly. “I hope to meet you again one day.”

            “Uh…” Misty stammered as they left.

            Ash’s glare intensified, following Justy’s back until it left his sight.

            “I like him,” Aura chuckled, smirking at Ash.

            “That was lucky,” Ash muttered. “Good thing they were stalking us.”

            “You’re sill in trouble, mister,” Misty started.

            Aura’s face lit up at the sound of a motorcycle engine roaring to life.

            “Wait!” She ran out into the blinding, desert sun.

            Wes was starting up a large, desert bike. Justy was leaning against the empty sidecar.

            “Justy!” Aura yelled to him.

            “Yes?” He asked, grinning knowingly.

            “I… they…” Aura sighed. “They don’t know.”

            “Clearly.”

            “He… doesn’t know.”

            “Obviously.”

            “He’s… he’s not dead.”

            “I know,” Justy nodded.

            “You know?”

            “And, neither are you.”

            “I…” Aura’s voice faltered.

            “It’s ironic, isn’t it?” Justy chuckled. “This situation you’ve gotten yourself into?”

            “I… He…” Aura tried to think. “God loves to mock me.”

            “You’ve always kept your word, Aura,” Justy placed a single hand on her shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

            “Glad you’re not dead, after all,” Aura admitted as Justy leapt gracefully into the sidecar.

            “Back at ya,” Justy smiled just before Wes revved the engine and they took off into the desert, sending sand flying in their wake.

            “He’s alive,” Aura breathed. “That means… others… might…”

            _No._ Aura shook her head. _Don’t get your hopes up. It wasn’t his voice._

            _But, if he still lives…_

            Aura gingerly rubbed her chest, just beneath the spike.

            _He’s the only one left… who can help me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I've never seen MistyXJusty around before. Hrm. 
> 
> (Colosseum fans: No, I do not know where Rui is. Maybe in Agate or something. Don’t ask me. I have no answers there.)


	21. Cognition

Gary leaned back against the fence. He glanced backwards at the house behind him.

            _You’ve been lying to us for_ sixteen _years._

            He rehearsed his new confrontation in his mind.

            _You’ve lied to_ Ash _all his life. You’ve lied to the entire town. You’ve lied to my_ sister.

_How can any of us trust you anymore?_

Gary drummed his pen against the clipboard.

            _I shouldn’t be wasting my time with this._ He scowled. _I should be focusing on my new evolution study, focusing on_ my _future, instead of someone_ else’s _past._

            Gary looked up at the clouded sky.

            _Ash’s life could depend on it._

            Gary exhaled deeply.

            “But, does it?” Gary mused to himself. “I have no proof that he’s in danger from… that guy. But...” his voice trailed off for a few moments. “What I _do_ know of him… I have to assume.”

            “Assume what?” A voice interrupted his thoughts.

            “Hmm?” Gary looked up to see who had managed to approach him without his notice.

            Brock stood in front of him, the young man smiling in amusement.

            “Mrs. Ketchum _did_ say you were acting funny,” he chuckled.

            “What are you doing here?” Gary asked curtly.

            “Damn, she wasn’t kidding,” Brock’s bright mood wasn’t tarnished by Gary’s rude behavior. “What’s wrong?”

            “It’s just…” Gary started angrily, his voice trailing off. “Nothing,” he sighed. “What _are_ you here for? Ash hasn’t been around for weeks,” Gary’s tone was much friendlier. “And, what’s with the new sweater?”

            “Mrs. Ketchum asked me to stop by,” Brock tugged on his orange sweater vest nervously. “She said she needed my help with her new project.”

            “Project?” Gary raised a brow.

            “Well, _they_ need my help. Her and her ‘business partner,’ whoever that is.”

            “Partner…?” Gary felt lost. Then, something clicked.

            _Sasha._ He realized. _I’m not sure about letting Brock know about my sister just yet. Ash and the others have…told me stories._

“Mrs. K’s thinking about reopening the old restaurant she used to run with… with your parents, before…” Brock coughed nervously. “She asked me to come over to help her and her partner get things started up again.”

            “I do notice that Grandpa tends to visit… Mrs. Ketchum whenever you’re visiting with Ash.” Gary nodded. “Makes sense that they’ll want your culinary advice.”

“What about you?” Brock asked conversationally. “What are you studying right now?”

            “Hrmm?” Gary almost forgot he was even holding the clipboard. “Oh, just an evolution study, you know. Looking at the difference in the growth of Attack and Defense and such between a Gallade and a Gardevoir. Both brothers, of course.”

            “You’d be surprised how different siblings can be,” Brock smiled.

            Gary stared in silence for a moment.

            “What’s your family like?”

            “What?” Brock was taken aback by the question. “I…I guess they’re normal enough. Large, I guess. And my siblings are still rather young and energetic.”

            “What about your father?”

            “What about him?” It was Brock’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

            “What’s… he like?” Gary wasn’t sure how to ask.

            “He abandoned us when we were without our mother, and left me to raise my siblings alone. As a teenager. Much too young to be truly on my own, let alone have such a massive responsibility resting on my shoulders.”

            “You must resent him a lot,” Gary said in a low tone.

            “Not really.” Brock shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it was an _extremely_ selfish thing for him to do, but if he hadn’t, I might have never met Ash and Misty, and traveled with them. And, they certainly needed me. Lord only knows how long they would’ve lasted without killing each other intentionally, let alone on accident.”

            “You’re not worried now?” Gary couldn’t help but smirk.

            “Of course I am,” Brock chuckled back. “Just… for completely different reasons.”

            “Hmm?”

            “They’re sixteen, Gary. Like you. Certainly _you_ know how sixteen-year-olds think.”

            “Ash is as oblivious as a Slowpoke.” Gary shook his head. “Worse, really.”

            “But Misty is not,” Brock reminded him. “And Ash isn’t a little kid anymore.”

            “Scary thought.”

            “No kidding.” Brock nodded.

            “I guess you were the father figure he… never got to really have,” Gary looked away.

            “Ash never talked about him,” Brock shrugged. “I never really saw myself as a parent figure.” Brock chuckled. “Pikachu thought I was the mother of the group, but I always considered myself to be the big brother.”

            “Like at home.” Gary nodded.

            “I guess,” Brock looked up at the sky. “Why are you bringing this up?”

            “Ash… never said anything about his father?”

            “Not once,” Brock said. “Not anything substantial, in any case. Well, he did respond in the natural way when… I _did_ have to be a father figure for one awkward conversation.”

            Gary looked at him.

            “What?”

            “The curse of traveling,” Brock chuckled nervously. “I’d just met up with Ash in Hoenn when I realized… that he was thirteen.”

            Gary blinked for a moment, before his face lit up in revelation.

            “Oh. _That_ had to be _awkward_ ,” he chuckled nervously.

            “I’m sure it was worse for him to hear it.”

            “I’m sure.” Gary nodded. “He never had his father to ask those types of questions, after all. And God knows, Ash would _never_ ask his mother them.”

            _Though, he’ll be asking her a whole different set of questions if I have anything to say about it._

            “Where is his father?” Brock asked after a long pause. “The way Ash never even mentioned him… it made me think that he just fell off the face of the planet.”

            “Gyles Ketchum… _died_ … a long time ago,” Gary said through his clenched jaw.

            “ _When_?” Brock looked genuinely shocked.

            “Ash never knew him.” Gary scowled. “He… _they_ … lost him when Ash was only a few days old.”

            “I—I can’t.” Brock shook his head. “I can’t believe that Ash never mentioned it. Not once. For _six years._ ” Brock staggered slightly. “Even Misty mentioned off-handedly that she and her sisters are orphans.”

            “Seems like we’ve all suffered from parental abandonment of some sort,” Gary mused.

            “Except for May and Max from Hoenn, yeah.” Brock nodded. “I guess… I guess it just brought us closer together as a group. Ash certainly never seemed to suffer from his loss.”

            “He never knew what it was like to _lose_ his father,” Gary responded. “You can’t miss what you’ve never known.”

            _I_ did _know_ my _father_ , Gary added to himself. _I feel his absence every day. Ash has never noticed Gyles’s._

_But… one way or another, he will._

_Sooner or later, Ash will be forced to deal with his father’s past._

 

…

 

“I swear to God,” Gyles sighed, face in his palm, “if you do not shut up, you’re going back into your ’Ball.”

            “I’m _just saying_ ,” the Lucario held up his hands in defense, “if you would just let–!”

            “If we draw attention to ourselves,” Delia interrupted, “then we risk having–!”

            “ _Shut. Up!_ ” Gyles stopped in his tracks, pulling at his hair with both hands. “You two. Have not. Stopped. Bickering,” he looked back and forth between them rapidly, “for. _Two_. _Hours_!”

            “At least.” Cindy nodded. The Charmeleon wasn’t even looking at the others, not even at her own Trainer. She appeared to be highly annoyed at something.

            “Please.” Gyles let go of his jet black locks. “ _Please_ tell me we’re almost there.”

            “Should only be a few more hours at most.”

            “Hours?” Gyles repeated. “Just… kill me now. At least I’ll have some _peace_.”

            “Would think that you wouldn’t be exactly _used_ to peace,” Cindy glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Being a Rocket, born and bred, and all. Eh, Jill?”

            “How hard is it to say my name?” Gyles glared at her.

            “You don’t know what you’re talking about, lizard,” the Lucario stormed to the Charmeleon. “So, shut your mouth about things you don’t under-!”

            “No,” Gyles whacked the back of the Lucario’s head. “ _You_ shut your mouth, or I _will_ put you back in your ’Ball.” Gyles held up a strange Pokéball, the model of which Delia had never seen before.

            The Lucario stared silently for a moment.

            “You… you wouldn’t force me into that… prison.”

            “Try me,” Gyles narrowed his eyes. “I’m trying to keep the peace here, man. _You’re_ the one trying to start a fight.”

            “I—!”

            “No.”

            “Fine,” the Lucario scowled. “I’ll be quiet. I just don’t like her being—”

            “ _Delia_ is to be trusted until _I_ say otherwise,” Gyles interrupted in irritation. “You’ve _never_ had this much… _contempt_ for my decisions before. You’ve been getting more and more argumentative for _days_.”

            “We’ve been getting more and more _lost_ for days,” the Lucario pointed out. “No way she can know where we’re going. Seen one mountain forest, seen them all.”

            “City boy,” Delia shook her head.

            “Please.” Cindy looked at her Trainer. “Put me back in my ‘Ball before I kill both of them.”

            “Whatever,” Delia chuckled, obliging in her friend’s request.

            “You _do_ know where we’re going, right?” Gyles asked calmly.

            “I… _did_.”

            “What.”

            “I… was kind of distracted,” Delia shrugged, folding her arms into the folds on her jacket. “I’m not used to having to navigate my way through these mountains while in a… heated debate.”

            “What,” Gyles repeated in the same flat tone.

            “We… should have turned at a… large rock formation back there,” Delia looked away, her long hair covering her face. “I wasn’t paying attention… and forgot.”

            “See?” Gyles’s Lucario pointed at her, glaring at his Trainer. “ _See?_ We are going to _die_ out here, and it’s all _her_ fault!”

            “ _My fault?_ ” Delia yelled at him. “At least you’re not rotting in a jail cell!”

            “We mess up one time, and you never let us forget it!”

            “I didn’t even _deserve_ to be exiled, but you only treat me like a _traitor_!”

            “Maybe if you hadn’t been so—!”

            “ _AAAAAAARRRRGH!_ ” Gyles roared in frustration, slamming his fist against a nearby tree.

            Delia and the Lucario stopped bickering to look at Gyles’s back, which was heaving with his deep breaths. Gyles’s jaw was clenched, his eyes slammed shut, as he fought to control his temper.

            “Weeeeeeee!” A strange, yet familiar high-pitched tone shrieked.

            Gyles opened his eyes.

            Resting on his fist was a runt of a Weedle. The little Bug Pokémon was staring at him with enlarged eyes, trembling.

            _Oh. Shit._

            “It’s… it’s okay, little guy,” Gyles nervously tried to soothe the little Pokémon. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re… you’re not hurt, right?”

            The Weedle continued to look at him, ceasing its trembling.

            “See?” Gyles gingerly patted the top of its head with his other hand. “I like Weedle, like you. You see, I—” Gyles started to pull out a Pokéball from within his jacket.

            “What?” Delia blinked. “You actually have a full team? Everyone said you were one short.”

            “A guy has his secrets,” the Lucario crossed his arms at her.

            “ _I_ just thought that we were trying to be more _honest_ with each other.”

            “Who ever said that _you_ deserve our trust?”

            “Oh, _I don’t know!_ Maybe when I risked my _life_ to help—!”

            “God. _Damn_. It. _You_. _GUYS!_ ” Gyles felt his rage build in his chest.

            They stopped, staring at him again.

            _No._

            _Past_ him.

            Gyles looked back at the Weedle. It was trembling again, with tears building in its eyes.

            “No. Nononononono…” Gyles spoke in a rushed, soft voice. “I didn’t mean to up…set…”

            _Ah, hell._

            The Weedle burst out in a shrill cry.

            “That’s not good,” the Lucario took a step back.

            “Ya _think_?” Delia looked at him.

            “BeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE!” They were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of Beedrill, the bug Pokémon circling them rapidly.

            Gyles brought his fists in close to his chest, taking a fighting stance, the one Pokéball still in his hand.

            “Got your six,” the Lucario said, positioning himself back-to-back with his Trainer.

            “What about me?” Delia turned to face the swarm, pulling out a Pokéball of her own.

            “I don’t want to fight you,” Gyles tried to soothe the irritated insects. “It was a misunderstanding. Your Weedle friend isn’t hurt. I swear, I wouldn’t hurt one of you. See?”

            He tossed the Pokéball.

            _TSEEEW!_

            In a burst of red light, a familiar Pokémon materialized in front of his Trainer.

            “Beedrill!” The trained Pokémon yelled at the others. “Bee! Drill!”

            “You have a Beedrill?” Delia turned back to look at it. “Since _when_?”

            “Long story,” Gyles said quickly. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

            Instead of calming the swarm, however, the other Beedrill just became more irritated, and started to charge the small group of travelers in a series of Attacks.

            “Come on!” Delia threw the Pokéball. “Get rid of these pests! Aura Sphere!”

            With a battle cry, another Lucario materialized in a burst of red light. The female started to chuck Spheres at the Beedrill in a relatively calm manner.

            “What?” Gyles looked back from his defensively raised arms. “No! You’ll just piss them….” His voice trailed off. “To hell with it! Twineedle! Blaze Kick!”

            Gyles’s Beedrill and Lucario obeyed, joining the defensive.

            “You seem to have gotten yourself into another scrape, D,” Delia’s Lucario chuckled softly. She noticed Gyles. “Well, if it isn’t the prison boy? Let me guess: You did something rash again.”

            “I—!” Gyles started.

            “I suppose it’s worth it to fight alongside this tall, handsome fellow again,” the female Lucario elbowed the male in between Attacks with a sly smile.

            “I—I—I…” the male Lucario stammered.

            “Come on, Blue,” Delia chuckled. “Fight now, flirt later.”

            “But I’m a—” she started with a grin.

            “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Delia punched a charging Beedrill with a solid right hook. “Just help us.”

            “Blue?” The male Lucario asked. “Is that your name?”

            “Not exactly.”

            “More of a related nickname,” Delia dodged as an Aura Sphere took out a Beedrill in front of her.

            “If you fight well enough, I may tell you my name.” The female Lucario smiled.

            “I—I…”

            “I swear, man,” Gyles dodged a Pin Missile with a smooth tilt of his head. “You’re worse than a little kid with his first crush.”

            “Look in a mirror lately?”

            “What is _that_ supposed to—?”

            “Children!” Delia whacked another offending Beedrill, using her handgun as a club. “Fight the Beedrill, not each other!”

            “Bee!” Gyles’s Beedrill yelled indignantly, saving Delia from a flank attack with a Cut attack.

            “Except you, of course.” Delia nodded with a grin.

            “Aerial Ace!” Gyles yelled.

            “Beeeee!” Beedrill charged the other Bugs in a rapid blur.

            “Aura Sphere!” Gyles added to his Lucario as the human shot down another attacker with a sharp kick.

            With two barrages of Aura Spheres being shot in all directions at a rapid rate, it became more and more difficult for Gyles to react without risking being hit himself.

            _That was dumb_ , he scolded himself. _There is no way to describe this mess without the word ‘cluster’ somewhere…_

            _At least_ —

            Gyles’s eyes went wide, as he noticed one of the offensive Beedrill backing away from the fight, its arm stingers glowing with a green light.

            “ _NO_!” He yelled, pushing his Lucario out of the way, as he forced himself between the Beedrill and Delia.

            “G?” She half-turned towards him in confusion.

            Her unfinished question was answered as a Solarbeam shot from the Beedrill, hitting Gyles in the chest with full force. He grunted slightly in pain, but stumbled and fell to the ground without a word.

            “ _GYLES!_ ” The male Lucario roared. “That. Does. It.” The blue, fiery essence of Aura around his hands turned purple, and lightened until it reached a bright, piercing white glow.

            “…Guys?” Gyles choked in a low voice. “Back… up.”

            “Bee!” Gyles’s Beedrill curled up on his Trainer’s chest to identify himself.

            “What… what’s…?” Delia asked, as she and her Lucario backed away from the raging male.

            “RrrrraaaaaaAAAAAA _AAAAARGH!_ ” He roared in growing intensity, as he raised his glowing hands, shooting a swirling burst of pure, white light at the offending Beedrill. The Bug Pokémon shrieked in pain, but the Lucario had already started his sweep to strike at the rest of the swarm.

            Delia and the female Lucario ducked as the strange attack circled completely around them. When the attack finally ended, the Lucario was standing in a slightly hunched over position, his body heaving violently in sharp breaths, inhaling through his gritted fangs. The Beedrill lay on the ground in heaps for a moment, before leaping back into the air and flying off as fast as their beaten wings could carry them.

            “What,” Delia blinked, standing back up, “the _hell_. Was. That?”

            “It was… a sheer… _storm_ of… Aura energy,” the female Lucario gaped. “I’ve never seen… _anything_. It was… _how_ could you be so powerful without a proper mentor in the powers of…?”

            “Gyles and myself have more in common than you think,” the male Lucario said in a low, dark voice. He rushed to his Trainer’s side. “You okay?”

            “My chest hurts,” Gyles admitted, sitting up gingerly. His Beedrill curled up on his lap instead. Gyles gave the Bug Pokémon a gentle pat on its head. “I think I’m fine though.”

            “You… idiotic… overreacting… rash… absolutely _reckless_ …!” The male Lucario scolded his Trainer. “I swear, if you kill yourself…!”

            “You’ll never speak to me again,” Gyles chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I know.”

            “You… could have been really hurt,” Delia approached him slowly.

            “But I’m _not_ ,” Gyles looked up at her. He didn’t bother to stand up.

            _I’ll get up_ _when my chest stops throbbing_. He told himself. _Though I think the pounding might actually_ never _stop…._

            “You risked your life,” Delia blinked at him. “For mine.”

            The question hung heavy in the air, unspoken though it was.

            “You never deserted,” Gyles said softly. “You never renounced your… vow of loyalty.”

            “I was exiled,” Delia shook her head. “I think that kinda negates—”

            “It was unfair,” Gyles interrupted. “You’re still one of my Grunts. I’m still _responsible_ for you.”

            His Lucario raised an eyebrow at his Trainer. Delia and _her_ Lucario exchanged glances.

            No one bought it, not even Gyles.

            “You’re a good person,” Gyles eventually sighed, closing his eyes. He fell back gently into the soft grass below.

            “I—” Delia started.

            “Just because I’ve lived a life of crime… and darkness,” Gyles said softly, “that… that doesn’t mean that I’m a monster.”

 

…

 

Ash drank gratefully from the canteen.

            “ _Hey!_ ” Pikachu shook his head from on top of his trainer’s shoulder. “ _You getting any of that in your mouth?_ ” Water dripped from the tips of the Pokémon’s ears, wasted.

            “Hey!” Aura barked in echo. “Don’t waste the water!”

            “It’s your fault we’re in this mess to start with,” Misty scowled at him.

            “ _My_ fault?” Ash asked in resentment. “It’s not _my_ fault.”

            “Yeah, it kinda is,” Aura sighed, rolling her eyes. The Lucario walked to the front of the group, pulling her jacket closer to her body.

            “It’s not fully night, yet,” Nyx pointed out.

            “Really?” Aura looked at him. “I had no idea! I just _couldn’t_ figure out why the sun was still peeking out over the horizon at us!” The Lucario sighed. “We’re not _blind_ , Nyx.”

            “Ya know, I tink–” Jerzy started from his position on Misty’s shoulder.

            “You _should_ be thankful that you’re getting a free ride,” Misty frowned at him. “Or, you can walk like the rest of us.”

            “I’ll jus’ keep mah mouth shut,” Jerzy said rapidly, the Rattata tugging on his mask nervously.

            “Smartest thing he’s said so far,” Aura half-chuckled.

            “I still think we should wait until complete nightfall,” Nyx insisted. “Those guys said that it would be best to travel when–”

            “Oh, loosen up!” Aura groaned. “Break a rule once in a while! It’s good for you!”

            “Coming from the Lucario who would rather live in anarchy.” Misty smirked at her.

            “I _lived_ in anarchy,” Aura corrected her. “I never said I preferred it.”

            “What _do_ you prefer?” Ash asked.

            “Peace,” Aura said simply.

            “Ironic,” Ash scoffed, “for such an aggressive—”

            “ _Phanpy!_ ” Aura interrupted in a bright cry.

            “I’m not fat!” Ash sounded insulted. “How many times do I have to—?”

            “No, _dolt!_ ” Aura smacked the back of his head, then pointed into the distance with the same hand. A small Phanpy was standing just within sight, head tilted in curiosity. “Wild Pokémon aren’t common in Orre, particularly this deep in the desert. We _have_ to be close!”

            “We should—” Nyx started.

            “ _PHANPY!_ ” Aura yelled again, dashing out after it.

            “Desert must be getting to her,” Misty chuckled. “She’s being just as reckless as—”

            Ash interrupted with a loud laugh, running after the Lucario.

            “ _You’re both morons,_ ” Pikachu held onto Ash’s shoulder for dear life.

            “We should probably make sure that they don’t get themselves killed,” Nyx looked at Misty.

            “Probably.” She nodded.

            After a shared grin, Misty and Nyx ran off after them, Jerzy swearing bitterly under his breath as he was forcibly towed along.

            The Phanpy was using a Rollout to attempt to escape their chase. Aura slowed her pace slightly in surprise when she noticed Ash catch up and slightly surpass her.

            _Are the Elements doing this? Or is he actually becoming more physically fit on his own._

_Shouldn’t_ you _be an expert on rapid adaption to survive in a demanding situation?_ A voice that sounded annoyingly like her father’s echoed in her mind.

            Aura scowled.

            Ash suddenly yelped in surprise, falling forward into the sand. Pikachu was knocked clean off of his shoulder.

            “What?” Aura skidded to a halt, turning back to face him.

            Ash’s left foot was completely engulfed in the sand.

            “Help,” he looked up at her, locking eyes. “Something’s grabbed—!”

            Suddenly, some unseen force pulled him completely under the surface of the desert. Aura stared in horror at the sand.

            “ASH!” Misty yelled as she and Nyx caught up.

            “ _Pikapi!_ ”

            Nyx didn’t speak, gaping at the empty space with wide eyes.

            Aura inhaled and exhaled slowly, the image of his eyes still burning in her vision.

            “ _NO!_ ” She barked suddenly, throwing herself at the spot Ash had vanished into. She began to dig and tear desperately at the sand. “ _NO! NONONONONONO!_ ”

            _I can’t fail them again! I_ can’t!

            “ _Ash!_ ” Misty repeated, still frozen in terror.

            “ _NOOOOO!_ ” Aura yelled in anguish, slamming her fists in the sand.

            The sand shot upwards in a funnel shape, as if caught in a sudden tornado, engulfing Aura completely.

            “ _Aura!_ ” Misty and Nyx cried out.

            The funnel of wind died down, spraying sand everywhere. The others had to shield their eyes briefly, and Misty hissed in pain as some of the sand particles scratched her skin open from the force of their movement.

            Miraculously, Ash was now visible, now only waist-deep in the desert sands. Granules of sand were scattered throughout his hair and clothes, and a Trapinch was biting the top of his head playfully.

            _That explains where the sand trap came from._

            Aura was sitting on her knees, fists still in the sand, with an expression of severe irritation on her face, staring past Ash into space. Her pelt was extremely windblown, with her fur sticking out in various directions.

            “Really?” The Lucario eventually said bitterly, spitting out sand. “ _Really_?”

            “Master of Elements?” Ash looked at her sheepishly.

            Aura grabbed the front of his jacket, and forcefully pulled him the rest of the way out of the sand.

            “I hate you.”

            _No, you don’t_ , that annoying voice echoed in the Lucario’s mind. _You need to acknowledge that you_ —

            _I don’t_ have _to acknowledge anything._ She interrupted it. _I know how I feel._

_Exactly. So, stop lying to yourself._

_I…_

            Another funnel of sand exploded nearby, this one dissipating almost immediately to reveal a Marowak.

            “Ah, see? I told…” The Ground type started, looking over to his side. He seemed to be surprised by the empty space next to him. The Marowak buried his skull in one hand. “Always have to get carried away…” The Marowak looked back up. “Anyway… identify yourselves.”

            “I’m Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.” Ash raised his left hand, and the Gauntlet of Elements materialized briefly before vanishing again. “I’m… the Chosen One.”

            “More like the _Sandy One_ ,” Aura grumbled.

            _Not that I have any right to make unfunny jokes about it…._

            “I’m Misty, Leader of the Cerulean Gym.”

            “Pika Pikachu.”

            “Nyx, Head Aide of the Night Temple.”

            “Ah, Nyx!” The Marowak grinned in recognition. “Well met! It’s been awhile!”

            “You _do_ know absolutely _everyone_ ,” Aura grumbled.

            “You seem familiar.” The Marowak looked at the Lucario.

            “This is Aura,” Nyx introduced her. “She’s… Hikari’s charge. The one she made to swear… fealty to the Chosen One.”

            “Fealty?” Ash blinked.

            “It means I have to be loyal to you,” Aura explained with a groan.

            “I know that,” Ash said in an unconvincing tone. “I meant, who talks like that?”

            “Newcomers,” Marowak looked primarily at Ash. “I am Kerr, Head Aide to the Sage of the Ground Temple. We will be—”

            What they were going to do, they never got to hear. Their world was suddenly engulfed in sand, as an unseen force pulled them downwards through the dunes, deep underground.

            Aura flailed around in the sand, the granules filling her mouth.

            _I take it back. Please, drown me in the ocean. Don’t let me die suffocating on this taste in my mouth._

As suddenly as they had been engulfed, they found themselves being flung sideways into a chamber filled with air. Aura heard the others joining her in coughing out mouthfuls of sand.

            “No amount of showers will _ever_ make me feel okay again,” Ash shuddered, shaking sand from his hair.

            “Does no one know how _painful_ sand cuts are?” Misty had her hands pressed against her arms, half kneeling on the ground.

            “Only one person would dare to…” Nyx sighed.

            Aura looked up to see a sandstone archway rising out of the floor of the well-lit cave. Just in front of it, the Lucario saw the spiny back of a Sandslash, clearly the creature responsible for their unorthodox travel and for the motion of the arch.

            “Show off,” Aura grumbled, shaking sand out of her jacket.

            “Greetings, Chosen One and companions!” The Sandslash turned to face them after the arch stopped moving up. “I am the great Ground Sage, Enki! Welcome to the Temple of Earth!”

 

…

 

Silver was focused on the actions of a very different Marowak.

            “Bonemerang!” He heard Mondo’s voice yell out.

            Silver paused for a single second, waiting until the right moment.

            “Dodge!” He ordered in a calm, firm tone.

            “Nid!” The male Nidoran barked, leaping to the side as the bone flew harmlessly past.

            “Venom!” Silver warned. “It’s coming back!”

            Venom glanced backwards slightly, leaning a little to allow the bone to fly right by his face without injury.

            “Nice!” Mondo grinned. “You’re focused!”

            “I always am,” Silver frowned. “Confusion!” He ordered.

            “Nido!” Venom’s eyes glowed purple.

            “Maro!” The Marowak clenched his head.

            “He’s gotten very strong,” Mondo smiled.

            “He always has been,” Silver insisted. “ _We_ always have been.”

            “I know.”

            “Finish it!” Silver barked. “Shadow Claw!”

            “Nidoran!” Venom slashed the Marowak in its skull, black energy radiating from his claws.

            “Maro!” The Marowak fell backwards to the ground. “Marowak…”

            “Niiiiiiid!” Venom roared in victory.

            “Yeah!” Silver allowed himself a short shout of joy as well.

            “Niiiiiido!” Venom began to glow with a bright, white light.

            Silver stared at the evolving Pokémon.

            “Never gets any less amazing,” Mondo chuckled.

            The light faded, revealing the newly-evolved Nidorino. He looked to his left at Silver, his permanent glare still burning through his scarred eye.

            Silver walked up to Venom, kneeling next to him and placing his hand on the Nidorino’s forehead. The teenager couldn’t fight a gentle smile, or the strange, pleasant feeling that was building in his chest.

            Mondo recalled his Marowak into its Pokéball with a soft chuckle.

            Silver opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t think of what to say.

            “Silver,” Mondo started, but trailed off. Something in the distance caught his eye.

            “What?” Silver stood up, turning to face the mountainside that was so fascinating to his companion.

            “Do you see that?” Mondo asked. “That… bluish glow?”

            “No….” Silver shook his head. “I….” He looked down at his feet. “I see a disembodied shadow creeping towards me,” Silver added in a disinterested tone.

            “Shadow Sneak!” Mondo identified the attack. He tackled Silver, knocking them both out of the way.

            “TOMB!” A booming voice exploded in a burst of blue light.

            “Mondo?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Get off me!” Silver pushed Mondo off, and gaped at the sight behind his companion. “What… the hell… is _that_?” Silver stood, staring.

            Mondo turned, eyes wide.

            “Spir!” The unusual Spiritomb sneered at them. Its ghostly body was teal in color, with purple face and markings, unlike most others of its species.

            “A Shiny!” Mondo breathed. “I think we just found our target!”

            “TOMB!” The Spiritomb roared again, its body glowing purple as it blasted Venom with a Psychic attack.

            “Niiiiid!” The Nidorino roared in agony.

            “Venom!” Silver yelled in concern. “Return!” He held out the Moon Ball, and recalled the thrashing Poison Pokémon.

            Suddenly without a target, the Spiritomb turned to Mondo. He yelled in agony from the Psychic blast.

            “No!” Silver barked. “Red! Aerial Ace!”

            _TSSSEEEW!_

            The Scyther shot out of the Luxury Ball without a word, striking the Shiny Spiritomb with massive force and speed.

            The Spiritomb was knocked back slightly, but simply chuckled and faded back down into the shadow on the ground.

            “No, you don’t!” Silver growled. He leapt onto the Scyther’s back. “Red! After it! Agility!”

            Red gave a sharp nod, as he sped off with his Trainer. The Scyther was surprisingly fast, catching up with the retreating shadow in a short amount of time, leaping across the rocky mountainside.

            “Stop it!” Silver ordered. “Pursuit!”

            Red leapt into the air, raising a scythe.

            A torrent of water engulfed their senses, knocking them to the side and into a rocky cliff side. Pain shot through Silver’s head as the water receded. Silver and Red coughed, spitting water everywhere.

            “Where…?” Silver looked around.

            _Gone_ , he realized. _The damn shadow’s gone._

_Damn it!_ He stood up, kicking a nearby rock. _I almost had it!_

            “Silver!” Mondo ran up to him. “How… what… where?”

            _How the hell did he catch up so fast?_ Silver narrowed his eyes, before his rage built back up at his failure.

            “ _Something_ helped it,” Silver snarled. “God _dammit_! I was so damn _close_! I… I… _I_ —!”

            “You figured it out.” Mondo put a hand on his shoulder. “You have information, something we’re here _for_. You have something to put in your report to your father. This is good. You’re doing your job. Relax.”

            Silver looked at him, anger burning in his eyes.

            “Who the hell used the—?”

            “It doesn’t matter right now,” Mondo said calmly. “You have something to report. You’ll be able to have back-up next time. You’ll win. You don’t need to be angry.”

            “I…” Silver blinked.

            He backed up out of Mondo’s grip, exhaling.

            “You’re right,” Silver admitted in a low voice. “I… I have to go make my report to Sebastian and my father… and to my… partner. They need to know what we’ve learned.” Silver nodded to Red. “You okay?”

            Red nodded back once, and followed his trainer away towards the base at the horizon.

            _Such a powerful Pokémon…_ a soft voice whispered in Silver’s mind. _Imagine… imagine what you could accomplish with its power at your command. Imagine what you could change in your world. It has no weaknesses… perfect for someone as…_ strong _as you…._

            Silver shook his head.

            _I… I don’t understand_ , he clenched his head in both hands. _What… who is in my head? What is going on? Why is this happening to me?_

What _is happening to me?_


	22. Earth

Aura blinked, rubbing her head gingerly.

            _Where am I? What’s going on?_

            Slowly, the image of her surroundings came into focus, primarily the view of the one who was waking her with a gentle shake of her shoulders.

            “Wake up, Aura.”

            “Get off.” Aura pushed Ash away. She turned to her side, curling up into a ball and closing her eyes again. “Five more minutes.”

            “The Returned will not grant you time to rest,” Nyx’s voice sounded strangely flat.

            “One came pretty damn close.” Aura leaned up slightly, glaring at the Shiny Umbreon through narrowed eyes.

            “I don’t know when we’ll get another chance to talk about… all this,” Nyx said in a low tone. “You should probably pay attention. I’m sure even you have some questions you want answered.”

            Aura sat upright with a low growl. She was leaning back against the pale, coarse sandstone wall. The relatively square chamber was illuminated by a series of torches like most of the previous Temples. The room was otherwise unfurnished, save for the groups’ belongings, including the sleeping bags they had used to sleep in the night before.

            _At least,_ Aura added to herself, _I_ think _it’s morning now. It’s hard to tell the passage of time down in these damned caves._

“Fine,” Aura sighed. “I’ll bite. Prove to me that _you_ know something about the Returned that _I_ do _not_.”

            “Guys.” Misty interrupted them from where she sat against the far wall, holding her knees in close to her body. “Please, can we get this over with? I’d rather not have to talk about that… monstrosity any longer than we _have_ to.”

            “ _She’s right_.” Pikachu nodded from beside her. “ _This isn’t a competition._ ”

            After a moment of silence from Aura, Ash sat down on Pikachu’s other side without a word.

            “I… I guess we should start at the beginning,” Nyx said.

            “Usually a good place to,” Misty gave a weak smile.

            “Well…” Nyx trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. “Ash, Odin told you about how magic once existed in this world on a generally recognized level. He said that very little of it remained. He was right. For the most part, the closest anyone ever comes to experiencing magic are the Elements, which are as different as wood and brick.”

            “What?” Ash blinked at the metaphor.

            “They’re both used in building—”

            “Moving on!” Aura snarled.

            “It is believed that nearly every form of the ancient magics is completely extinct, with only the rare artifact or so surviving, and the even rarer practicer of a form or two. The most important of these forms for my… explanation this morning is…” Nyx trailed off.

            “Blood Magic,” Aura finished in a dark voice.

            “Yeah,” Nyx nodded. “The legends, as the few who cared enough to read the few scrolls containing them know, say that Blood Magic was once as pure and uncorrupt as any other source of magic, as the Elements themselves. It is said that the Blood used within its practice was not forcibly taken from the innocent. Or, really, _taken_ at all.

            “The Blood was a gift of Arceus’s own veins.”

            “What.” Ash blinked at him.

            “Or, so the tale goes.” Nyx shrugged. “Those who showed an aptitude had to spend _years_ upon _decades_ training just to be given a _chance_ to learn Blood Magic. And, all who were granted that privilege were required to all live in the one place that the Pool of the Blood of Arceus was kept. The great stronghold of the Sage-Kings.”

            “The Keep of the Knights of Arceus,” Aura added flatly. “Yes, I know this tale.”

            “I would ask where you heard it, but we do not have time.” Nyx looked at her, before turning back to the others. “In any case, there were generations upon _generations_ of Blood Mages that were just as clear-headed and pure-hearted as yourself, Chosen One. This was partly because of the massive amount of tests and training required to even be considered for the mere _possibility_ of learning it, and partly because of the intense care to make sure that no one individual ever became too power hungry or dependant on the Blood’s power. And, for countless years, this magic was untainted by the Curse.

            “But, of course, it did not last. No one knows _why_ the Traitor began to secretly experiment with the Blood, or how he managed to do so in secret. All that is known is that he quickly became power-hungry and, quite literally, bloodthirsty. The Blood… _Cursed_ him.”

            “ _The_ Curse,” Aura echoed softly to herself.

            “You already know that the Traitor then attacked and killed the Sage-King Hikaru, right?” Nyx asked.

            “Yeah.” Ash nodded. “Odin told me about that.”

            “And Ash told us,” Misty added.

            “Well, the Traitor had already tapped into the ultimate power that could be granted by the Blood of Arceus. The one dark attribute known to the innocent-hearted Ancients… and the most forbidden.”

            “What?” Ash asked.

            “Immortality.”

            “What?” Ash repeated.

            “It means you’ll never die,” Aura sighed.

            “I _know_ ,” Ash glared at her. “I _meant_ to ask, that this Traitor guy is seriously _that_ old?”

            “He was the childhood friend and companion to Hikaru,” Aura said darkly. “ _That_ is why they call him _the_ Traitor.”

            “What was his name?” Misty asked. “Do you know?”

            “I do not.” Nyx shook his head. “Only the Sages of the highest three Elements of the cycle and… a rare few beyond are ever told. It is said… to be a curse. It is said that… that any who bare the same name… are fated to a great tragedy. All I know is the name he now bears.”

            “What…what is that name?” Ash asked nervously.

            “It…” Nyx hesitated. “It is said that the Traitor’s evil will outlast the very moon in the night sky. That… that if he were to succeed… that he would be able to… to _slay_ the very _cosmos_.”

            “Moonsbane,” Aura said softly.

            “You really do know.” Nyx blinked.

            “He is responsible for this.” Aura traced a line on the top of her head, where the fur was slightly darker than the rest. “And… a few others,” she whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

            “Like the ones on your back?” Ash asked.

            “What do you mean?” Aura sounded uninterested.

            “The scars on your back,” Ash pressed. “Did… Moonsbane give you those… too?”

            “No,” Aura eventually said in a low voice. “No. He did not.”

            “Then who—?”

            “May we continue?” Aura ignored him.

            “Yes, where… where was I?” Nyx chuckled nervously.

            “The Returned.”

            “Oh, yes.” Nyx twitched his ears rapidly. “Them. The Returned… they… I assume Odin told you about the… Final Evolution.”

            “He said that it’s something that anyone, Pokémon or human, can do if… they are willing to sacrifice their life for the power to protect anything… or anyone.” Ash forced himself to look at Nyx and not at Misty.

            “Yes.” Nyx nodded. “It severs our bond to the mortal plane, and our form changes to accommodate for the… ethereal powers we are granted by our… choice. But… the Traitor learned… You see, the Final Evolution removes us from the natural order of… of life and death. It… it allows…” Nyx’s voice faltered, and he wilted visibly as if trying to make himself shrink into non-existence. “The Traitor learned, as did several other Blood Mages and Witches that rose up after his betrayal, how… he learned how to… reanimate the corpses, further corrupting their physical forms. And, they are ultimately under his absolute control.”

            “The Returned… are Pokémon that are brought back from the dead?” Ash wasn’t sure he had heard right. “The Evolved return… but under Moonsbane’s control?”

            “After a rather… horrid ritual, yes.” Nyx looked at him sadly.

            “Those poor souls.” Misty breathed.

            “Worse… Blood Magic cannot _create_ life, and the spirits of those who die in the entire process of creating a Returned are beyond the reach of a Blood Mage or Witch.” Nyx looked at the ceiling, avoiding the others’ eyes.

            “Wha’ does dat mean?” Jerzy poked out from one of the packs in the corner.

            “If… you die,” Nyx hesitated, “and… and the Traitor or any user of Blood Magic corrupts your Evolved corpse into a Returned in time… you will not be forced back into life to serve as his servant.”

            “That’s… a small comfort,” Ash admitted.

            “Instead, the life force must be stolen from another.”

            “What?” Ash blinked.

            “An innocent, likely a young one due to the long life still ahead for them, must be taken and, in a heinous Blood Ritual I will _not_ discuss further, have their… their…” Nyx faltered. “The Traitor doesn’t just _kill_ them… he takes their… their Life Blood and uses it in the creation of a Returned.”

            “He’s killing children?” Misty sounded horrified.

            “In a terrible, torturous manner,” Nyx whispered. “I don’t… don’t think you need me to say anything further… to understand what evils we’re up against… now.”

            “No.” Misty placed a hand on the Shiny Umbreon’s shoulder. “Thank you for explaining.”

            “I-I…” Ash stammered.

            “I can answer any questions… later.” Nyx looked at him. “I just… can’t now.”

            “I understand,” Ash muttered. “This… this really… is real.” The words fell flat, as if he couldn’t even question it anymore. Somehow, this made sense.

            And it broke something inside.

            “Aura, why do you…?” Ash started to look at the Lucario.

            The Lucario was gaping at the Shiny Umbreon in horrified shock.

            “Aura…?” Misty looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

            _No…_

            Aura staggered to her feet, and didn’t even look at the others as she stumbled into the hallway.

            “Aura!” Misty yelled after her.

            The Lucario didn’t hear her, caught in a sort of trance from her dismay.

            _No…. This… this can’t be happening. This can’t have been what…. This can’t be why…._

_Can’t._ The word echoed in her mind, a weak defiance of her realization.

            _He betrayed you_ , her father’s voice reminded her. _He’s the one that left_ you _to die alone._

_I would’ve died bravely_ , Aura shook her head. _I would have died_ fighting. _He may already be dead… butchered by that…_ monster _._

            _And that redeems his betrayal?_ The voice asked.

            _No… but it condemns mine._

            She wrapped her arms around her own stomach.

            He _left me to die._ I _left him to be_ tortured _._

 

…

 

Ash coughed, spitting up mouthfuls of sand.

            “Why…why did we have to go that way?” Ash asked, scraping the last granules from his tongue. “What is with you and dragging me through sand?”

            The cavern was made of hollowed-out sandstone, with the apparent entrance being filled with sand that spilled into the room. The wall opposite the entrance was carved into a beautiful archway, bordered with strange symbols that glowed a faint, tannish-red color. The other two walls were adorned with torches, though only half were burning.

            “I’m gonna scar, I just know it,” Ash moaned, looking at the small scratches that covered his arms. “I should’ve grabbed my jacket.”

            “Don’t be a weakling,” Enki scratched the back of his head in disinterest. “A Master of the Elements is above minor injuries. The very Earth shall sustain you through all wounds.”

            “…Right,” Ash said slowly.

            _Why does every Sage talk so… strangely?_

            “That’s… the way I have to go?” Ash asked the Sandslash.

            “Yep.” Enki nodded. “Your belt, please.”

            “My belt?” Ash raised a brow.

            “You must face this Test alone.”

            “What do I have to do?” Ash handed the Sage his Trainer’s belt.

            “That would be telling.” Enki grinned. “Good luck, Chosen One.”

            The Sandslash leapt into the sand, vanishing in a flurry of granules.

            “I’m going to die, aren’t I?” Ash asked no one in particular.

            He slowly crossed under the archway and into the passageway. The passageway walls were heavily adorned with torches and more glowing carvings in some strange language Ash didn’t recognize. He stopped in front of a section of wall and pressed his hand against some of the carvings.

            A flurry of whispers echoed through his mind.

            “Whoa!” he yelped, pulling his hand back. The voices stopped. “Okay, moving on!” Ash said quickly, turning and hurrying down the passageway, a nervous expression clear on his face.

            After a moment, he came to a dead end, and stopped.

            “You’re joking!” He yelled at the wall. “Enki!” He shouted at the ceiling. “Is this some sick joke?”

            He scratched at his shirt’s sleeves, small chunks of sand falling out.

            “Haven’t I dealt with enough sucker punches today?”

            As if by some twisted cue, the solid ground beneath his feet dissolved into pure sand and some strange force of gravity pulled him down through it.

            Small grains of sand ripped into his arms and face again. He slammed his mouth shut to prevent sand from spilling in and suffocating him. Fortunately, he managed to close his eyes before his face was engulfed.

            _What the_ hell _is going on?_ He thrashed slightly in panic.

            After what felt like an eternity, Ash felt an explosion of air overwhelm his senses and felt the sudden stop of the solid ground slam through him. He pressed his arms down against it to lift his head, inhaling in deep, grateful bursts.

            “This is… gonna… kill me… one day.” He gradually got back on his feet. He blinked, taking in his surroundings as he beat more sand out of his clothes.

            The new room was very similar to the hallway he had just been in, though larger in dimension. The walls glowing in the mystical carvings’ glow and the burn of the torches. The spot on the ceiling just above him was still dripping small amounts of sand to the ground. And, at the far end of the room was a decorated archway leading to—

            “The Shrine!” Ash grinned. “Thank _God!_ ” He started to run towards the far room.

            The ground shook violently, knocking Ash onto his backside.

            “Oh, come _on!_ ” Ash moaned, rubbing his lower back. “Really? _Really?_ ”

            The ground shook again, splitting and knocking Ash backwards even further, as a strange, glowing figure with an indeterminable number of limbs rose out of the fissure.

            _An Elemental_! Ash remembered the similar, ethereal creature he’d encountered in the Fighting Temple. This one was nearly identical, the only noticeable difference being that this new one was a light, tan color, similar to the warm shades of the sandstone surrounding them. Its eyes glowed a soft red, and were fixed upon Ash’s.

            _I’m screwed_ , Ash stumbled backwards.

            The Elemental roared at him, making the very walls vibrate from the sound. It raised one hand, and chunks of mud flew from it at Ash, hitting the teen in the chest before he even realized what was going on.

            _Mud Shot_ , it finally registered in his mind.

            It slapped him across the side with a Bone Club. Ash shouted in pain as he slammed into the wall.

            _What did I get myself into_?

            Ash stumbled onto his feet. He swung his arm, shooting a Swift at the Ground Elemental. The Elemental growled softly, blinking in confusion.

            _Chosen One_ , a booming voice echoed in his mind. _You will have to do better than that!_

Sand swirled around him.

            _Sand Tomb,_ Ash recognized the move. _No. Not again!_ He raised his left hand again, the Gauntlet glowing with the light from the Flying Orb

            A swirl of wind from a Gust attack rose up, and blew the sand away.

            “You’ll have to do better than _that!_ ” Ash smirked.

            The ground shook violently once more, as the Elemental slammed the ground with a bestial bellow.

            _Earthquake._

            The ground under Ash’s feet began to crack.

            _NO! I will_ not _die here!_ Ash charged the Elemental, slamming his left fist into it with all the force he could muster, the Gauntlet now glowing with the orange color of the Fighting Element.

            Mach Punch.

            The Elemental stumbled backwards. It stopped just in front of the archway to the Shrine. It trembled, and a strange sound echoed through the room.

            _A laugh?_ Ash blinked.

            _Much better, Chosen One._ The voice echoed again. _You have spirit. I have faith in you, boy._

“Uh… thanks?”

            _Learn to have faith in yourself._

            Before Ash could recover from his shock, the Elemental vanished into nothingness.

            Shaking his head, Ash walked slowly into the Shrine.

            Like all the others, the walls were covered in carvings, though these ones were also glowing. In one nearby corner, was a silver statue of a small human boy running after a Riolu, a small Dratini wrapped around the former’s waist. All three were laughing.

            _He was the childhood friend and companion to Hikaru_. Aura’s voice echoed in his mind as he looked at the statues. That _is why they call him_ the _Traitor_.

            Something ached in Ash’s chest. He turned sharply away, unable to look any longer.

            The Shrine statue glistened in the torch light, the silver, cross-legged Riolu holding up the Ground Orb, the small, opaque yet clear sphere glowing with the same tan color as the Elemental had. Surrounding the Riolu were more statues of varying metals:  Sandshrew, Dugtrio, Graveler,  Cubone, Phanpy, Larvitar, Numel, Baltoy, and Hippopotas, all dwarfed by the towering presence of a golden Rhyperior.

            Ash looked at the Rhyperior statue, blinking slowly. Something about the way it stood over him, watching him with a soft, gentle expression, it felt familiar to him. He’d seen Rhyperior before in his journeys, but… somehow, this one was different than every single one he’d met.

            Yet, he knew this one, too.

            Ash shook his head, and turned back to the Orb in the Shrine statue. He walked over to it, sighing as he navigated around the other statues. He stared at the Orb, the soft glow holding his gaze, though the pull didn’t seem as strong as with the others. Ash sighed again.

            “Maybe this one won’t hurt,” he muttered. Then, after a dry chuckle, he added, “And maybe Aura will announce her undying love for… _anything_. And turn out to be a Legendary in disguise.”

            He blinked.

            “Maybe I shouldn’t tempt fate.”

            With a large inhale, he braced himself, reached out and grabbed the Orb with both hands.

            Ash slammed his eyes shut as the wave of pain shot through him. He expected it, and it still took him by surprise. The pain rolled through him in bursts, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from yelling out.

            After a short while, the pain eased, and Ash found his dark world being replaced with the vision of an endless desert all around him. He blinked. Was this real? No, if couldn’t be.

            He looked up. The sun bore down on him, and he had to squint and look away from the glaring light. He smacked his lips, finding his mouth to be suddenly dry, with the taste of sand still stuck in his mouth. He was convinced he would never be able to taste anything else again.

            Suddenly, the earth shook, and Ash stumbled backwards as the desert opened up in front of him and the dark soil and rocks of a mountain rose up in front of him. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet softened, and he began to sink into it.

            _Quicksand?_ His heart began to race. _How many times is the ground going to try to_ eat _me?_

Even though he tried to stand still and slow the sand’s suction, Ash found the wet granules pulling him down faster than he thought possible.

            _What do I do?_ Ash felt his heart quicken even more. _WhatdoIdo?_ The words began to run together.

            _You need to have more faith in yourself_. The booming voice of the Elemental echoed again.

            Ash’s mind froze for a split second, before rebooting and his thoughts focusing.

            _He’s right. I’m better than this. I’m_ Ash Ketchum _. I’m the_ Chosen One. _I’m going to be a Master one day._

_I’m the destined_ Master _of the_ Elements _,_ he smirked, _and I’m still holding the Ground Orb!_

            Ash focused on the idea of the ground breaking underneath him, and the quicksand vanished.

            _Fissure_.

            The entire vision swirled into nothingness. A Lucario appeared before him, scruffy and heavily scarred. He stood taller than most, though shorter than Ash’s current traveling companion. He wore a golden collar, studded with glittering gems, and similar bracers on each wrist.

            “Ashura,” he spoke.

            “Hikaru,” Ash recognized the voice.

            “Yes, Chosen One.” The Lucario smiled. “I cannot speak for long.”

            “I…”

            “Your body is indeed adjusting,” Hikari said with a nod. “Rather quickly, in fact.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash blinked.

            “The pain… it’s not as bad anymore. Your recovery is rapidly improving with each encounter with a new Element. I am quite glad. You may yet surpass my expectations.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “You will understand in time.” Hikaru nodded. “I’m afraid the price of the clarity of our communications today is the sharp decrease of the time allotted to it.”

            “You talk funny,” Ash said without thinking. “I mean, uh….”

            Hikaru chuckled. “Times change, I daresay. I just wanted to make sure you knew that you _can_ do this. I did not pick you because I thought you would fail. Your heart is more than pure enough, and you are even stronger than you know.”

            “I…”

            “If you have something to say—”

            “The Traitor,” Ash interrupted.

            “What about him?”

            “Was he really your friend?”

            Hikaru looked at him sadly.

            “He was my brother.”

            “Literally?”

            Hikaru chuckled, in a darker tone than before.

            “No. No, and yet… that made the betrayal all the sharper.”

            “I hope I’ll… never feel that pain,” Ash muttered.

            Hikaru simply gave him another sad look.

            “Good luck, Chosen One,” Hikaru said as Ash’s vision of the ancient Lucario faded.

            Another wave of pain began to roll through his body.

            _NO! NOT AGAIN!_ Ash bellowed in his own mind.

            With a roar, he pulled up on the Orb, yanking in clear out of the silver Riolu’s hands. Ash stumbled backwards from the force of the momentum. In an over-correction, he started to fall forward, staggering around.

            He allowed himself to fall to the ground in an awkward, sitting position, leaning his back against the Rhyperior statue.

            He clicked his tongue. The taste of sand still prevailed.

            _I miss Brock’s cooking._ Ash barely remembered the Orb in his hands, as his sight faded in and out, black swirling in his eyes. _And Mom’s._

            _Mom_ , Ash looked up at the golden Rhyperior. _It reminds me of Mom. I… I don’t know why. It makes me think of Mom. Mom…._

            A soft lullaby whispered in his head, as he drifted into sleep to recover.


	23. Ensnarement

Light flashed, as a knife flew through the air. The blade made an audible _thwum_ as it embedded itself in the wooden planks of the wall.

            “Just like that.”

            Domino walked over to the wall and effortlessly pulled the knife out. She absent-mindedly gave it a twirl, as she turned around.

            Silver was leaning back against a wood support beam, scowling and looking the other way entirely.

            “Yeah, yeah,” he growled. “You throw a knife. It hits something. It’s not rocket science.”

            “No.” Domino shook her head, before flipping the knife around and offering the handle to Silver. “It’s an art. It takes precision and practice. It’s more than just force and extending pure strength through a sword. It—”

            “Whatever,” Silver sighed. He took the knife from her. _If it’ll make you shut up and leave me alone,_ he added to himself. He looked at the large wooden section of wall, tapping the flat side of the knife against his shoulder. Then, in a half-hearted manner, he tossed the blade.

            The knife scrapped the wall and fell to the floor with a clanging sound.

            “What?” Silver blinked.

            “You’re trying too hard.”

            “What?” Silver repeated, glaring at her.

            “It’s not a show of force,” Domino sighed, picking up the blade. “It’s not just being stronger than your opponent. You have to be faster, _smarter_.”

            “I am smart.” Silver narrowed his eyes.

            “I know.” Domino nodded. “But you have to be _clever_ , too. You have to know how your opponent moves, how they think, what choices they make. Every action. You have to be aware of every choice they make, of whether they will turn and run, or—”

            The blade flew from her hand, and soared right past Silver’s face, fraying a couple of hairs. The knife embedded itself in the wooden support beam he had been leaning against mere minutes before.

            “— if they’ll stand their ground and fight to the bitter end.”

            “I will always—!”

            “You have to remain one step ahead at all times. Two, if you can think fast enough.”

            “I can—!”

            “Prove it!” Domino reached past his face, pulling the knife out of the support beam. She offered the handle to him once more. “Make the throw.”

            With an agitated sigh, Silver took the blade from her, and stepped around her to face the wooden wall. He raised the knife.

            “No, no.” Domino shook her head, walking behind Silver. “Your stance is wrong.”

            “Wha—?” Silver started, his voice vanishing when she gently grabbed his forearms from behind. She tried to guide his arms to a more natural position.

            “You’re too tense,” she told him.

            _No shit,_ Silver glared at her, too enraged to speak. He decided that the effort to restore his voice wasn’t worth the prospect of actually _speaking_ to her.

            “Think of the blade as a natural extension of yourself,” she continued, “as a part of your hand. Focus on your target,” she guided his hand back, pulling the knife close to his face, “and imagine the throw. See the knife hitting the target, internalize the image of success.”

            _Shut up already, you insufferable—_

“Then, in one motion, exhale and release.” She guided him through the throwing motion. The knife flashed through the air, embedding itself in the wooden wall with a _thump_!

            _The hell?_ Silver managed to string a coherent thought in his mind after several long moments. He walked over to it in shock. _She… helped me?_ He blinked slowly several times, before yanking the knife out of the wall again. _No. There’s no freakin’ way she could ever do something—_

            His trail of thought was utterly derailed by something in the wood catching his eye.

            There were series of deep scratches in the wood. Suddenly curious, Silver knelt down to get a better look. He ran his fingers along them, feeling the grain of the wood against his skin.

            _Who…?_ Silver wondered, his thought trailing off as a new shape in the wood revealed itself under his fingertips. A single letter.

            _G._

            Silver grimaced darkly.

            _He was a lot like you,_ Dagger’s voice echoed in his mind.

            _I doubt that,_ a younger tone of his own voice responded. _I’m nothing like—_

_You are far more blessed._

Silver blinked as he had then. The ache in his chest ripped through him much more than it had six years before.

            _He was roughly your age before he had anyone that could openly care about him. Ten years, alone, with no real friends or family. A mother who used him as a tool to only better herself, to gain more power. A father who was all but outright forbidden to have contact with him, and honestly should not have wanted any. Whereas you… you have parents who have made sacrifices for you—_

_My father_ never _sacrificed anything for me,_ Silver narrowed his eyes as his response echoed in his memory. _Why should I believe that he could ever care about anything but_ power? _What on earth could he have possibly done for_ me _, and not out of his own selfishness?_

            _If only you knew._

            “Silver?” Domino’s voice almost yanked him back to the present. But, one last echo of the past prevailed.

            _At least you have her._

            Silver fought off the familiar burning sensation that threatened to overwhelm his face and throat. He inhaled deeply, as if to check that he still could.

            _But…_ Silver thought to himself, forcing the memory away. _I don’t have her anymore._ _She’s dead. And I’m still here._

            _I’m still here._ The words hung heavy in his heart. _I’m still… here. She_ died… _and I’m still here. She died to…._

_I’m still here._ His throat closed off.

            _You wouldn’t have your team if you weren’t,_ a gentle voice reminded him. _You wouldn’t have Minerva or Venom. You wouldn’t have Red. You wouldn’t have Fang. Where would they be if not for you?_

_I…_

_You have power,_ a smoother, more velvet voice added. _You have a strength that you can only find in this hell. You are in charge now. In charge of your life. You are strong now. Strong because you stayed. Because you are not living your life on the run, living in constant fear of discovery._

_I…I-I-I…I…_ Silver stammered in his own mind. He shook his head, the voices and confusion dissolving in the action.

            “Silver?” Domino knelt down next to him.

            “ _What?_ ” Silver snapped, standing up sharply, nearly grazing her cheek with the knife in his hand by sheer accident.

            She stood up slowly, one eyebrow raised.

            “Are you okay?”

            “ _Fine,_ ” he snarled. “I’m just _peachy_.”

            “Silver…”

            “Oh, don’t pretend that you actually _care_.” Silver side-stepped away from Domino as she stood up. “You don’t care about anything but your—!”

            “Silver,” she said simply, her voice calm and level. He didn’t know why, but it utterly destroyed his rant. Silver blinked at her.

            _When have I been taller than her?_ He suddenly noticed the difference for the first time. _She’s older than me, shouldn’t she…?_

_You have your father’s genes,_ the soft voice chuckled in his mind. _Like it or not, you share his heredity traits, including his height._

_That must make me… over six feet tall_ , Silver continued to blink slowly. _Not by much, an inch or two at most, but…_

            He blinked. How much had he grown over the past several weeks? And, what about…?

            _I’m taller than_ she _was,_ he suddenly realized, the ache flaring again briefly. _I guess I already was, but… it would be obvious… now. She wouldn’t look much like my protector anymore._

            “Silver?”

            “Uh,” Silver forced himself to stay in the present.

            She was _way_ too close, Silver decided. He wanted to yell at her, to let his anger out, but his voice was still recovering from the jolt of pain in his heart.

            “Silver!” Mondo’s voice exploded from the doorway.

            “ _What?_ ” Silver leapt back in surprise at the sound, half-turning to face him. He had certainly found his voice again, and at a heightened volume and pitch. “What is it?”

            “Um,” he blinked briefly, before shaking his head. “There’s an atta—agh!” Mondo cried out as he was toppled over by the excited emergence of three others.

            “You,” Silver sighed upon seeing the rather… _eccentric_ trio that’d been assigned to him. He buried his face in his free palm.

            “Dat freaky Spiritomb’s outside da base!” Meowth yelled excitedly.

            “It’s destroying everything!” James added in a hysterical tone.

            “It only takes one person to deliver a mess…age…” Silver started, face still buried. Then what they were saying slowly hit him.

            “It’s here?” He looked up at them.

            Mondo nodded silently.

            “It’s really pissed off,” Jessie added. “But, it’s nothing we can’t handle, right, guys?” She smirked, plucking a Pokéball off of her belt.

            “You think you can take that thing?” Domino raised a brow.

            “We handled that Pikachu on a regular basis, didn’t we?” Jessie reminded the others. “That little pest was _powerful_.”

            Silver clenched his jaw. He thrust the knife into a small sheath on his belt, and tore off into the hallway, nearly knocking Mondo and the others over as he did.

            “Silver!” Mondo called out after him. “Wait! Professor Sebastian said— _Silver!_ ”

            Silver didn’t hear him. He was too busy running as fast as he could to the surface. Convinced that his reckoning was finally upon him, he let nothing and no one get in his way.

 

…

 

“Snea!” Minerva barked as she Slashed futilely at the Shiny Spiritomb.

            “Minerva!” Silver shouted. “Stop! Back away from—!”

            “TOMB!” The Spiritomb roared, shooting bursts of a Silver Wind attack at the Sneasel.

            “Minerva!” 

            “Snea!” Minerva yelled out in pain.

            “TOMB!” The Spiritomb bellowed again, as chunks of rock and earth shout up out of the ground, encasing the Sneasel in a Rock Tomb.

            “No!” Silver sprinted over towards it. The rocks retreated as he approached, revealing the unconscious Minerva. “No.” Silver cradled his Pokémon in his arms. “Damn it.”

            “ZU!” A trio of Zubat flew past his head, charging at the Spiritomb.

            “Idiots,” Silver growled as he recalled Minerva to her ‘Ball. “How many times will it take before they learn that Zubat—”

            “TOMB!” The Spiritomb hit them all with a nasty Psychic attack.

            “ZU! ZU! BAT!” The Poison-type Pokémon all shrieked in pain, before falling to the ground in a heap with the several dozen other fallen Zubat.

            “—are at a _massive disadvantage_ here?” Silver finished. “How incompetent can… rrargh!” He stood up, roared in frustration. “Red!” He turned sharply toward the Scyther. “Now!”

            The Scyther wordlessly charged the Spiritomb, striking it with an Air Slash, following with a swift Night Slash to the Ghost Pokémon’s keystone.

            “SPIR!” The Spiritomb bellowed as the sudden attacks knocked it backwards, rolling awkwardly down the mountainside on its keystone.

            “Yes!” Silver drew his sword. “Finally.” He ran and jumped onto the loose, sloping soil, sliding down the mountainside after the fighting Pokémon. He leapt off the soil at the Spiritomb. He swung his sword, landing next to the Shiny Pokémon with a soft thud. The blade harmlessly passed through the Spiritomb’s vaporous body, and it turned to Silver, laughing.

            “I’m not a moron,” he smirked at it. “I grew up around Rockets. If they taught me anything, it’s that you defeat a stronger opponent by overwhelming it. Either by surprise, or—”

            Red struck the keystone again from behind with a Fury Cutter. The Spiritomb was knocked into the air, flying clean over Silver’s head.

            “—by ganging up on them. Or,” Silver’s smirk deepened, his eyes narrowing, “both. NOW!”

            “TOTOTOTOTOTOTO!” Fang yelled happily as he leapt down from apparently nowhere. He unleashed a burst of water onto the Spiritomb’s entire body, slamming it back down into the ground.

            “Good, Fang!” Silver yelled. “Now, Aqua Tail!”

            “Tototo!” The small Totodile started to charge the Spiritomb, when he stopped suddenly and looked back over his shoulder.

            Hearing the strange sound as well, Silver and Red both followed suit.

            “Oh, _hell_ no,” Silver groaned, leaning the tip of his falchion into the dirt. “Not those three.”

            Jessie, James and Meowth were running down the mountainside at the Spiritomb, yelling incoherently. It became rapidly clear that they were no longer in control of their speed, and ended up running right past them, crashing into a pillar of stone.

            “Really?” Silver looked at them. “What good can you _possibly_ —?”

            “Show them who the best agent in Team Rocket is!” Jessie yelled, throwing a Pokéball. “Seviper! Poison Tail!”

            “Wait!” Silver yelled out, eyes widening.

            “VIPER!” The snake Pokémon materialized in a burst of red light, swinging its tail blade at the Spiritomb.

            The Ghost Pokémon laughed as the attack grazed against it, effectively harmless. Then, it unleashed a powerful Psychic attack on the snake Pokémon, which shrieked in pain.

            “Or not,” Silver sighed. He turned towards the trio. “What the _hell_ are you doing? I gave you a _direct order_ to—!”

            “Silver!” Mondo’s voice interrupted his rant. Silver half-turned to see him effortlessly sliding down the mountain and stopping as he reached them.

            “Second thought,” he said to the trio. “Keep that thing distracted with Red and Fang for a minute.”

            Without waiting to see them carry out their order, Silver approached Mondo.

            “Professor Sebastian says that the… trap is fully charged and ready to go. As soon as the pressure plate is triggered… that’s it,” Mondo said in a low tone. “You _are_ still planning to…?” He asked in a cautious tone.

            “Yes.” Silver nodded. “Let’s get this over with,” he sighed, and sheathed his sword into its scabbard strapped to his back. “Red! Finish this! Aim and use Night Slash to bull’s-eye!”

            The Scyther nodded his understanding of what his trainer meant, and landed a powerful blow on the Shiny Spiritomb’s keystone, knocking it back several feet. The cloud of dirt the action kicked up revealed that the keystone sat mere inches from a large, half-buried metal plate in the ground.

            “Back away!” Silver yelled at the Trio. “Fang! Use—!”

            An object fell from the sky, embedding itself in the ground between the plate and the Spiritomb.

            “What _now_?” Silver walked in an arc to get a look at it.       

            It was a black tulip.

            Silver spat a loud, bitter curse.

            The tulip shot out a burst of electricity, and the Spiritomb yelled out in pain.

            _It’s gonna knock it in the wrong direction!_

            “Looks like I showed up just in time to finish up,” Domino materialized from apparently nowhere right next to Silver.

            “Damn it!” He snarled at her. “We have this handled! You’re just going to ruin the plan!”

            “I’m supposed to work _with_ you!” She narrowed her eyes. “Or have you forgotten what the word _partner_ means?”

            “You’re _not_ my partner, and you’re _not_ in this plan!” Silver yelled. “We’re not knocking it out! It will just Shadow Sneak away before it gets that weak! We’re using Sebastian’s little trap!”

            “Why didn’t you—!”

            “This is _my_ plan, _my_ mission!” He interrupted. “ _I’m_ in charge and I _won’t_ let it escape _this time!_ ”

            “I—!”

            “You want to work together?” He raised his arms slightly to his sides, palms open. “ _Don’t mess up a plan in motion and assume you know best!_ ” He yelled in a hoarse tone.

            “…Fine,” she eventually muttered.

            “TOMB!” The Spiritomb roared as the tulip’s shockwave faded.

            Silver turned to face it. Everyone but Red and Fang were at a safe distance—due to the trap about to be sprung—and couldn’t react in time to stop the attack.

            “TOMB!” The Ghost Pokémon unleashed a Psychic attack, the full blast of its power hitting Fang.

            “TOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTO!” The Totodile yelled in pain.

            Silver stared.

            _Fang._

            “ _NO!_ ” He yelled at a volume he didn’t know he could achieve. Drawing his sword, he leapt at the Spiritomb, positioning himself between the Shiny Pokémon and his own. With an angry shout, he struck the keystone with the flat side of his blade, knocking the Spiritomb back a few inches.

            It was as if hell were unleashed.

            A series of metal plates and tubing shot up out of the ground, encasing the keystone and forcing the Spiritomb to retreat into the corporeal part of its body. As an added security measure to its success, a jolt of electricity shot through the metal, crackling through the air and anything too close to it.

            Including Silver.

            “RRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!” Silver fell to his knees as pain exploded through his body. He dropped his falchion, and collapsed to the ground completely, until the shock faded, and the pain began to ebb.

            “Silver!” He heard a voice yell out.

            “ _No!_ ”

            He opened his eyes slowly. Right in front of him were the faces of Red and Fang, the Scyther and Totodile’s concern clear.

            “I’m fine, guys.” Silver reached out and touched Fang gently.

            _Silver_ , a soft voice whispered in his mind.

            “I told you I’d take care of you,” Silver told them as he stood up. He looked at Mondo. “I will never watch and let someone die… never again.”

 

…

 

Silver rolled his shoulder gingerly. After he was satisfied that he wasn’t going to lose his left arm, he fell back onto the bed beneath him, limbs sprawled in all directions.

            “It’s not a Legendary,” Professor Sebastian’s voice sounded from the radio on the bedside table. “Regardless, it is certainly quite powerful, and a _Shiny_. I’ve never had the opportunity to study one before.”

            Silver pulled his shirt off, and threw it next to him on the bed, on top of where his jacket already lay.

            “Such an unusual-looking Pokémon will already be unnerving on the battlefield, and with its type combination, it has absolutely no weaknesses!”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Silver sat up, glaring at the radio’s speakers. “I know. Dark and Ghost. I paid attention to my tutor as a kid. I watched the tournament battles growing up. I _know_.” He sighed. “I expect a preliminary report in the morning.” He turned the radio off, and he suddenly noticed that there had been a buzz of static before. He shook his head.

            _Let’s see if I can go a week without killing myself, now_. Silver rolled his shoulder again. _At least I don’t have to give the report of the capture._

            He looked down at his feet.

            _Capture._

He thought of the Spiritomb, trapped in its keystone, somewhere in the base’s laboratories.

            _It was going to hurt Fang_ , he reminded himself. _I had to protect him._

            _From a Psychic attack?_ The soft voice chuckled. _Overprotective, aren’t we? Imagine what that poor beast will go through in Sebastian’s hands._

            _I…_

            “Silver?” The door opened slightly.

            “Go away,” Silver growled. “Shouldn’t you be giving the report to… Giovanni?”

            “It wasn’t a very long report, Silver.” Domino opened the door the rest of the way, raising one eyebrow.

            “What do you want?” He glowered at her.

            “To apologize.”

            “What.” He blinked.

            “I shouldn’t have assumed I knew what was going on… earlier. I should have trusted that you had a plan… that things were already under control. I was being arrogant. I was wrong.”

            Silver stared at her.

            First, his father, now Domino was acting weird?

            _Will Mondo start killing people next?_

            “What do you want?” He eventually growled.

            “What do you mean?”

            “You’ve _never_ apologized. For anything.”

            “That’s not true!”

            “Yes, it is!” Silver yelled, standing up. “Why _would_ you apologize? Unless there was something in it for you?”

            “You ever think that maybe I actually am _human_?” Domino’s voice took on a strange tone, one Silver hadn’t heard her use before.

            “Why?” He snapped. “Why should I think you have any feelings at all?”

            “Maybe because I’m _living_?”

            “Exactly.”

            “You… you _still_ blame _me_?” Domino gaped at him.

            “You’re a weapon, my father’s precious little pet! You always have been!”

            “At least _I’ve_ chosen to _try_ to reach out to someone else!” She yelled at him. “At least I haven’t _chosen_ to wallow in _self-pity_ and _grief_ for the _rest of my life_. At least I don’t _shut everyone out_!”

            “AT LEAST I CAN _FEEL_ GRIEF!” Silver roared. “AT LEAST I GIVE A _DAMN_ ABOUT _SOMEONE_ OTHER THAN _MYSELF_!

            “I _DO!_ ” Domino shouted. “I’m not a _monster!_ ”

            “Prove it!” Silver snapped. “Give me one good reason to believe you! Give me one _shred_ of proof—!”

            His words were cut off by Domino suddenly grabbing the side of his neck with one hand, and pressing her lips against his.

            Silver’s mind froze. His emotions all vanished in a flood of shock that paralyzed his entire body. All he could feel was her gentle touch for a long moment, before a sharp feeling began to fume in his stomach.

            Just as suddenly as the contact had been made, Domino broke away.

            Silver stood, stiff from his astonishment, staring at her.

            _How…? Why…?_ He tried to string together a coherent thought. _How… how could… she…?_

            The sharp feeling ignited, engulfing his internal organs in a wildfire.

            _How could she have the_ audacity…?

            “Silver?” She asked, in a tone that was more appropriate in determining whether a person was alive after an accident than the current situation.

            “Get out.” Silver finally managed to find his voice, soft and hoarse as it was.

            “Silver?”

            He turned away.

            _I… should’ve stopped her. Shouldn’t have… let…._

A pulsing ache grew in his temples.

            “Just… go.” Silver said a little louder, his voice sounded as if he were trying to eat gravel.

            He heard her try to say something, before her voice faltered. Then the sounds of footsteps and the door slamming.

            Silver collapsed back onto the bed.

            _Why… didn’t… I stop…?_

            Guilt emerged within the burning anger, cooling his rage.

            Silver curled up on his side, into a fetal position. His throat tightened and his mind became fuzzy, the sound of static ringing in his ears.

            _I’m… sorry,_ was all he could string together.

            The embers of his rage settled in his stomach. From there, they continued to smolder.

 

…

 

“I still don’t see why we couldn’t have taken a boat from Orre back here,” Ash grumbled as he slid off the back of a Flygon.

            “Because we were _not_ going to waste our time wandering through that desert again,” Misty dismounted her Flygon, as the Dragon Pokémon let a rather frazzled Nyx out of its firm grip. “Especially not with _you_ in charge of the water.”

            “Oh, _one_ time…”

            “Water…” Aura’s voice interrupted his rebuttal. The Lucario ran past him, almost knocking Ash over in her dash to the nearby pool of water, surrounded by trees, shrubs and other forest greenery. She leapt into it, splashing in the clear liquid gratefully, as if she hadn’t seen water in years.

            “Oh…kay…” Ash raised an eyebrow at her. “I think the high altitude got to her.”

            “Better than her almost falling off her Flygon last night,” Misty reminded him.

            “Yeah.” He nodded. “Nyx?” Ash turned to the Shiny Umbreon. “How’re _you_ holding up?”

            “I’m good!” He grinned, as he took a few shaky steps towards them.

            _At least he’s a good sport about it_. Ash couldn’t help but smile at Nyx’s bright attitude.

            “Aren’t we kinda rushing around to each Temple, though?” He asked, concerned.

            “Until you’ve gathered some strength in each Element,” Nyx sobered, “we’re going to be in massive danger. The other night with the Returned proved that. We were very lucky. That Charizard couldn’t have been a Returned for long. The older ones are… much more powerful. Our best bet for now is to travel as quickly as possible and to be unpredictable in _how_ we get from Temple to Temple.”

            “The… Flygons?” Aura looked up at him from the pond, water surging down her face, flattening her ears against the back of her head.

            “Exactly.” Nyx nodded. “Thank you,” he added to them, “for your help. Tell Enki we look forward to seeing him again, at Hikari’s Keep.”

            “We’ll see him again?” Misty asked as the Ground-Dragon Pokémon took off into the sky.

            “Hikari’s Keep?” Ash blinked.

            “Of course,” Nyx turned to them. “We’ll need their help, no matter how strong we become in the journey there.”

            “Why?” Ash asked.

            Nyx hesitated.

            “We… we should continue on, now,” he eventually changed the subject. “The next Temple is to the south… somewhere deep in the Union Cave.”

            _Johto,_ Ash thought. _It’s been so long since I’ve been here…._

            “What… what about the Traitor?” Misty asked, as Aura walked back over to them, still dripping wet. “Would… he seek us out himself? Not just with his… monsters?”

            “You better pray he doesn’t see us as that much of a threat,” Aura growled before Nyx could respond. “You better pray to God. To Arceus. To every damn deity that does and doesn’t exist. And hope that one of them hears you.”

            “ _What makes you say that_?” Pikachu asked from Ash’s shoulder.

            “I’ve dealt with him before, remember?” She narrowed her eyes. “If he wants you dead, you die. No one’s strong enough to stop that sort of… sheer power. Even without the Elements… he’s….”

            “Then, why are you still alive?” Ash asked.

            “Cosmic joke.” Aura shrugged. “Some higher force decided it would be the most hilarious irony for me to follow _you_ around, o mighty _Chosen One_.” The words were, as usual, said as if they left the taste of poison in the Lucario’s mouth.

            “How is _that_ ironic?” Misty narrowed her eyes.

            Aura ignored her question. “All that matters,” she crossed her arms, “is that we stay far enough ahead of the Traitor to avoid meeting him. Once Moonsbane decides to kill you himself….” She shook her head. “I do not think I can defy death a second time.”

            “Aura?”

            “If we ever come face-to-face with Moonsbane… may Arceus have mercy on _all_ our souls.”


	24. Fermentation

“Alright, alright,” Ash groaned. “I admit it.”

            “ _Now_ ,” Aura stressed, pulling on her pack’s straps in frustration. “Of course, you would admit I was right, being not only given _proof_ that the Center was there, but having taken advant—!”

            “Oh, _shut up_.” Misty buried her face in her hand. “You’re worse than an old married couple.”

            “Look who’s tal—AGH!” Aura started, before stumbling forward. The Lucario tumbled head over heels through a group of large ferns into a hidden tunnel in the hillside.

            “Aura!” Nyx exclaimed. The Shiny Umbreon dashed over to the hole in the earth and began to paw at the edges.

            “I’m fine, Nyx!” Aura’s head pushed through the ferns.

            “Ya’d tink dat ya’d have learned ta not fall inta’ holes by dis point in ya life,” Jerzy popped up out of Ash’s backpack.

            “ _You_ don’t get to talk!” Aura snarled at him, trying to pull herself out of the hole.

            “What makes you say that?” Misty asked, kneeling next to her and offering a hand in help.

            “Little bastard’s never fought for anyone a day in his—yaagghn!” Aura ignored the aid, and instead snarled and pointed at the masked Rattata. As a result, she fell straight back down into the hole.

            “ _Aura!_ ”

            Aura’s world spun around in an erratic manner as she tumbled further down the tunnel. Eventually, she found herself rolling in an awkward manner out the other end. She finally came to a halt, flat on her back, with the sight of a large, wooden log just above her face.

            _Oh…_ she groaned to herself. _That came_ way _too close to my head_ …

            “What?” A new voice barked in surprise. “Where did you come from?”

            “Clearly, from that direction,” a deeper voice retorted.

            Aura stood up, blinking.

            “ _Aura!_ ” She heard the others’ voices from the distance.

            “Whoa!” The first voice yelped behind her. “That Lucario is _huge!_ ”

            _This again?_ Aura sighed.

            “I’m down here!” Aura yelled up the forested hill, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Down the hill!”

            “It… _spoke_ ,” the second voice breathed.

            Aura turned to face the travelers she had unintentionally trespassed against.

            The first voice belonged to a lean, muscular teenage boy in black pants and a black-and-green jacket with a popped collar, and what initially appeared to be a green bandana pulling white hair out of his face. Then, seeing the strands of brown hair poking down out of the bandanna, Aura realized the whole thing was actually a strange cap. He was sitting straight up—shocked—on another, much larger log that was lying around the gathered firewood.

            The second voice belonged to a thinner teen male, wearing a clean, white, button-up shirt with muted green pants and vest, and a pair of strangely clean white shoes with simple, light blue marks. His short, green hair was neatly combed, and his smooth face appeared to have never sprouted so much as a single hair.

            “ _It_ is female,” Aura snarled at them, “and _she_ has a name.”

            The first teen laughed enthusiastically, and shot his companion a grin.

            “We should introduce her to Palmer.” He placed a hand on his knee. “I think he’d like her.”

            “He doesn’t like anyone.”

            “Exactly.”

            “What does that—?”

            “Oh, shut up!” Aura snapped at them. “Misty!” She yelled back up the hill. “Nyx! Dolt!”

            “What?” Ash sounded annoyed as he emerged from thick foliage, the others close behind. “Don’t I get a name?”

            “When you’ve earned it,” Aura growled.

            “What the hell does—?”

            “Hello!” Misty interrupted, noticing the other two teens. “Sorry about that. We had a run-in with a random tunnel entrance in the road.”

            “It’s the Sandshrew,” the teen in the hat explained. “They’ve been driven from their natural habitat. It’s causing a lot of problems for travelers as well.”

            “No kidding,” Aura spat, pulling a long, thin root out of her pelt.

            “What’s driving them away from Union Cave?” Ash asked.

            The two teenage boys exchanged glances briefly. They quickly looked back to Ash.

            “We’re not really sure.” The one in the hat shrugged. “We have a few theories, but….”

            “That’s why we’re here,” the green-haired teen sighed, looking pointedly away from everyone. “We heard about the… abnormal activities in the wildlife here, and….”

            “And what?” Aura snapped. “You decided to stick your noses where it doesn’t belong?”

            “Basically,” the green-haired boy said flatly. “Rather, _he_ decided we would.”

            “Hey, Wally, if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have learned—!”

            “A lot of things! I _know_!” Wally interrupted hastily.

            “Is anyone _else_ aware,” Aura snarled in frustration, “that we still have no idea who the _hell_ they _are_?”

            “Aura, relax.” Misty placed a hand on the Lucario’s shoulder. “You’re really tense today.”

            _We’re close_ , Aura knew. _We’re way too damn close…. I can feel…. We’re too close._

            Misty raised a brow at Aura, the latter twitching uncontrollably.

            “Anyway…” Ash said slowly, before turning to the other two. “I guess we _should_ introduce ourselves. You’ve already met our friend Aura. I’m Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.”

            “Pika Pikachu!” Pikachu said brightly.

            “You can call me Nyx!” Nyx grinned cheerfully.

            “Fascinating!” The teen in the hat breathed, eyes widening at the Shiny Umbreon.

            “And I’m Misty, Leader of the Cerulean City Gym.”

            “ _Really_?” The teen in the hat stood up, smirking. “Well, I am _honored_ to—”

            “Heel, boy.” The green-haired teen pulled back on his companion’s jacket. “Your girlfriend made me promise to keep you in check out here.”

            “I wasn’t going to—!”

            _TSEEEEW_! A beam of red light interrupted his retort. A Swampert materialized next to his Trainer. The Water Pokémon glared at him, arms crossed.

            “Vlad, I wasn’t…” His voice faltered under the piercing stare.

            He cleared his throat and turned back to Ash and the others.

            “My name is Brendan,” the teen in the hat said calmly. “Brendan Birch, rising Pokémon researcher.” He added with a grin. “And this is my star assistant, the wonderfully handsome Vlad.” He motioned to the Swampert, who gave the others a pleasant nod.

            “Birch?” Ash asked. “You mean… are you related to _Professor_ Birch?”

            “You’ve met my father, I see.” Brendan nodded with a smirk.

            “You don’t look much like him,” Misty narrowed her eyes.

            “I take after my mother more,” he admitted, before removing his hat to reveal his short, brown hair. “Though, I do share a rather striking similarity to Dad where my hair is concerned.”

            “Why did he never mention you?” Ash asked. “I’ve met up with him several times in Hoenn, and he never once told me that he had a son.”

            “I’m trying to make it on my own,” Brendan explained, “and I didn’t want anyone to simply associate me as just being my father’s son. So, I asked him to… not talk about me. Other researchers and close friends know, of course, but I doubt if he’d spill every tidbit on his family life to every growing trainer he befriended.”

            “Do you tell everyone you meet about your parents or siblings?” Brendan’s companion asked.

            “Not much to tell,” Ash scratched his head. “Just my mom and me. No siblings.” He paused for a moment. “But… I get what you’re saying.”

            “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is—”

            “This is Wally!” Brendan interrupted wrapping both arms around his companion in a sudden, tight hug.

            “My _name_ is—!”

            “Dude, come on. You really think that people will believe that you’re named after the _amazing_ Wallace?”

            “ _I never thought we’d find someone else with more unresolved tension than our own companions_ ,” Pikachu said dryly, looking at Nyx.

            “What is that supposed to mean?” Ash and Misty asked in unison.

            “Oh, get _off_!” Wally shoved Brendan, breaking the latter’s grip. “ _Fine._ You can call me Wally, but I’m _named_ after the Hoenn Co-Champion and Top Coordinator Wallace. He was just starting to become well-known when I was born, and my mother had high hopes for my future.”

            “So, you’re a Trainer?” Ash grinned.

            “Yeah.” Wally nodded. “But, I’m not really much of a competing one. I’ll challenge a Gym from time to time, but I mostly just follow Brendan around and try to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed.”

            “How many times have I _honestly_ gotten in _that_ much trouble?” Brendan raised a brow at Wally.

            “I’m not having this conversation again,” Wally sighed, burying his face in one hand.

            “He used to be so much friendlier.” Brendan shook his head. “I think his Grovyle’s attitude finally got to him.”

            “Or, you know, I’ve had to play the parent for you for too damn long.”

            “ _Anyway,_ ” Ash interrupted before Brendan could respond. “The Sandshrew?”

            “Yeah?” Brendan looked back at them.

            “What do you think is causing it?”

            Brendan and Wally exchanged another glance, before looking at Ash again.

            “We’re not entirely sure.”

            Aura stepped forward, clenching her chest. She narrowed her eyes and shot Brendan a death glare.

            “You’re lying.”

            “What?” Brendan asked her in confusion. “How could I—?”

            “Team Rocket’s here,” Aura growled. “There’s no way you couldn’t know by now.”

            “How would _you_ know if Team Rocket’s here?” Misty looked at Aura.

            Aura tightened her grip on her chest, doubling over.

            “I know.”

            _Unless… but, I know better than to hope that… that…._

            Aura inhaled deeply, exhaling in a hiss and standing straight again.

            “They’re somewhere in the mountains around Union Cave.”

            “Of course,” Ash sighed, exchanging a look with Misty.

            “What’s wrong?” Brendan raised a brow.

            “Our… destination is in Union Cave,” Nyx said hesitantly.

            “Of course,” Brendan chuckled nervously.

            Aura glared at him again.

            Brendan looked at Wally, who sighed and nodded once. Vlad grumbled something in a low tone.

            “Yes.” Brendan nodded. “We know that Team Rocket’s involved. We’ve been keeping an eye on them for a while now. From a distance, of course, but we’ve managed to keep them from doing too much damage until….”

            “There was a wild Spiritomb that’s been wandering around Johto and surrounding regions, and it settled in the nearby mountains several months ago,” Wally explained, pulling a carving knife out of his belt and throwing the blade into the ground in front of him. “Team Rocket, naturally, found out about it. Not only do Spiritomb not have even a single elemental weakness, but this one’s also a Shiny, which makes it a curiosity with even _legitimate_ researchers and scientists. It’s no surprise that Team Rocket was after it.”

            “It would also seem that they’re recruiting younger and younger, too,” Brendan added. “I didn’t get a good look at the new guy they brought in to lead the new mission to capture the Spiritomb, but... he sounded young enough.”

            “What about that one girl?” Wally reminded his companion. “The one with the black flower-things?”

            “What about her?”

            “She’s not much older than us.”

            “Yeah, but this other guy… this is just proof that she’s not a rare fluke,” Brendan’s tone darkened. “He’s _proof_ that the Team’s recruiting kids now. And that’s not exactly comforting.”

            Aura snarled.

            “Aura?” Misty looked at her again. “You okay?”

            “Team Rocket is a hive of evil and corruption,” she growled. “They’re the epitome of all the evil that lurks in human hearts.” The Lucario slashed a nearby tree trunk with her right paw spike.

            “Anyway,” Misty decided to leave her alone for the moment, “what happened to the Spiritomb? Is it still free?”

            Brendan and Wally exchanged looks once again, this one sad.

            “I… I had been distracted by a family of Sandshrew being… forced from their home. While I was helping them find someplace safer to relocate to….” Brendan’s voice trailed off into a sigh.

            “It wasn’t your fault, Brendan.” Wally said softly.

            “Never is, is it?” Brendan said.

            “Team Rocket caught it?” Aura asked, her voice strained.

            “We have… intel that proves it,” Brendan admitted reluctantly.

            “Brendan…” Wally warned.

            “Chill, dude,” Brendan reassured him. “I think we can trust them.”

            “If it’s Team Rocket you’re after,” Ash grinned, “then you can definitely count us in. Right, Misty?”

            “It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten ourselves in trouble with the Team together.” Misty smiled. “I’ll regret this later, but what the hell? You up for it, Nyx?”

            “A chance to liberate a fellow Dark type and a Shiny?” Nyx asked. “I may not be prejudiced, but I certainly feel a personal connection. Let’s do it! Aura?”

            The Lucario clenched her chest again, before giving her forehead a gentle rub as well.

            “I… would _love_ to give… some Rockets a good… hard thrashing…” her voice became more and more stressed.

            “Aura?” Ash reached out to her.

            The Lucario recoiled from his approach.

            “What’s wrong?” Ash pressed.

            _We’re too close… too close to… and… and I don’t know. Don’t know what’s… what’s wrong with…._

            “Nothing!” Aura snapped. “I’m fine!”

            The Lucario stormed off into the forest.

            “I’ll go after her,” Misty told Ash, before rushing off.

            “So…” Ash scratched the back of his head.

            “I guess I should fill you in on our plan, then?” Brendan smiled lightly.

            “ _Probably a good idea_.” Pikachu nodded.

            “You see, we’ve messed with the Team before,” Brendan smirked, “and when we did, we attracted the attention of someone… well, let’s just say that we’ve got _quite_ the secret weapon in store,” Brendan looked up at Vlad. The Swampert chuckled knowingly.

            “Well,” Wally sighed, “I guess we should start at the beginning…”

 

…

 

Misty didn’t hear much beyond the vague sounds of their voices, as she traversed carefully through the foliage after the large, female Lucario.

            “Aura?”

            “Go… away.” Aura was leaning against a tree trunk, clenching her chest spike with one hand and her head with the other.

            “You’re… you’re not well,” Misty insisted.

            “I’ll be fine,” Aura spat. “Go away.”

            “No,” Misty put an arm around her. “We’re your friends, Aura. Let us help you. Let _me_ help you. Tell me what’s wrong.”

            _What you’ve done is wrong,_ Aura heard her father’s voice echo in her mind. _No matter how pure your intentions, you can’t do that to… with… you can’t. You’ll end up killing yourself. He will not be able to escape the darkness in his heart, his soul. And, now… neither can you._

            _It’s not true,_ Aura shook the memory. _This can’t be happening. It… it can’t._

_But, it already has._

            “Aura?”

            “I… I don’t know.” Aura collapsed into the Water Trainer’s arms.

 

…

 

Silver popped the two, tiny white pills into his mouth, followed quickly by a large gulp from his water bottle. Swallowing the pills, Silver rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

            “Silver?” Mondo’s voice interrupted his groggy thoughts. “You okay?”

            “Fine!” Silver snapped. “This has just been a _very_ long day. Having my father come to hear our in-depth reports in person isn’t exactly on the top on the list of my favorite things to do.”

            “What _would_ be on that list?” Mondo smirked.

            “What?” Silver looked at him. “What do you mean?”

            “What _do_ you enjoy doing?” Mondo asked. “You don’t seem to enjoy much anymore.”    “…Uh…” Silver hesitated, leaning back against the metallic hallway wall. “I…” He glared down at the floor, his eyebrows furrowed together. “I… I guess I like Training… and sword-fighting. What… what does it matter?”

            “Silver,” Mondo walked up towards him, “you don’t—”

            The nearby door opened loudly, startling both of them. Professor Sebastian walked out first, followed shortly by Giovanni and Domino.

            _It’s bad enough that he showed up without warning early this morning, but…_

            Silver sighed.

            “The possibilities of its power in combat are nearly limitless!” Sebastian was finishing his personal report. “This specimen will certainly be a powerful asset to the Rocket you assign it to.”

            “Indeed.” Giovanni nodded once, his voice emotionless. He turned to face Silver. “And the recovery from the previous… incident?”

            “Well enough,” Silver forced his voice to remain level. “We’ve managed to identify all casualties, and the rubble from the destroyed Warehouse has been effectively concealed. Scout reports suggest that our covert presence here is still unknown to anyone outside the Team.”

            “Good. Keep it that way. Elite 009, you are to stay here in the base and make sure that security remains tight. The last thing we want is a breach now. Elite Silver,” Giovanni turned back towards his son, “you are to head the perimeter patrols.”

            “Aye, sir,” Silver and Domino spoke in near-unison.

            “Between the external and internal security forces, we should be able to hold onto _this_ victory. Right, _Sebastian?_ ” Giovanni shot a look at the scientist.

            “I will not allow _this_ capture to be stolen from us, sir.” Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “TheRayquaza was a major part in its own liberation. Our equipment was poorly prepared to contain it by itself, let alone when aided by outsiders.”

            “A couple of _teenage boys_ , if I recall,” Giovanni’s voice remained alarmingly level _._

            “Yes, well,” Sebastian couldn’t fully hide his insulted tone, “I’m more than confident that we can contain _this_ specimen, sir.”

            “Elites Archer and Ariana should be arriving, along with reinforcements, sometime late tomorrow,” Giovanni’s tone and face were still unemotional. He started to walk down the hall without another word, Domino and Sebastian close behind.

            Silver and Mondo exchanged glances, before the former followed with a sigh, the latter following suit silently. They walked down the hallway in relative silence, until Giovanni suddenly stopped in front of a door.

            “I will be spending the rest of the night in this room. I will send Dagger out if I need anything; otherwise, I’m not to be disturbed.”

            Silver blinked, but before he could speak, his father had entered the room and closed the door behind him.

            “That’s… _my_ room,” Silver muttered. “He… just took my room.” His tone was angry, but level.

            “You can room with me tonight,” Mondo offered. “My roommates were… casualties in the… explosion.”

            “An _Elite_ would not require an _Agent’s_ permission to—!” Sebastian started.

            “I can handle this situation on my own!” Silver snapped at the scientist. “ _You_ have no jurisdiction here, _Professor_. I will deal with my Agent’s generosities _and_ disobediences on my own. You are _dismissed_.”

            “Yes, _sir_ ,” Sebastian said in a bitter tone, before walking down the hall.

            “I do not need your help,” Silver turned to Mondo after the scientist was out of sight and hearing. “I am perfectly capable of finding my own quarters for one night.”

            “I have an extra bed in mine,” Domino suggested.

            “However,” Silver ignored her, “I _do_ need to discuss some details about tomorrow’s patrols with you.” Silver grabbed Mondo’s shoulder with one hand, and guided him quickly down the hall before Domino could follow.

            As soon as they were out of earshot, Silver stopped and glanced about the hallways. He suddenly realized that he didn’t know where Mondo’s quarters were.

            “Where are we going?” Silver asked.

            “Follow me,” Mondo chuckled as he walked gently out of Silver’s grip. Mondo led him through the maze of metallic corridors to a series of beat-up walls and doors. “Here.” He motioned to one, entering it with Silver close behind.

            Silver stumbled over to an unoccupied bed along one of the long, side walls, and threw his water bottle on it before collapsing onto the mattress.

            “What did you want to talk to me about?” Mondo asked.

            “Wha?” Silver leaned up slightly to look at him.

            “Tomorrow’s patrol?” Mondo raised a single brow.

            “Oh.” Silver remembered his lie. “Um… I….”

            “You don’t have anything special to say, do you?” Mondo sat down on his own bed.

            “…No. Not really,” Silver eventually muttered.

            “I thought so,” Mondo chuckled lightly. “I guess that I really shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been willing to do whatever it took to avoid sharing any sort of company with Elite Domino.”

            “No kidding,” Silver lay back against the mattress again. He tried to not think about the other night, but the harder he tried the harder he found it to accomplish.

            “I don’t get why you would accept… enlistment, let alone as an Elite… considering that.”

            Silver sat back up, raising an eyebrow at Mondo.

            “Didn’t you support my… enlistment _as_ an Elite?

            “No.”

            “What.” Silver blinked several times.

            “I told your father that… that I didn’t think you… that you belonged in the Team.” Mondo leaned forward, looking down at the ground, his arms resting on his knees. “I’ve spent _years_ in the Team. I’ve seen… and _done_ … terrible things, Silver. _Terrible_ things. I knew you deserved better than that. Your life before had some peace, little and dark as it was. You had happiness, even at such a heavy cost. You… you had friendship. You had… _her_.”

            Silver looked at him, but said nothing.

            “You…” Mondo hesitated. “You still had… the strength your father had at your age.”      “My father has always been a weak coward,” Silver snapped automatically. After a brief pause, he added softly, “How would you know what my father was like at my age?”

            Mondo smiled softly.

            “I’ve gotten information from _other_ sources besides the Team Rocket database.”

            “But, still, that—”

            “As well as beyond the private files that you’ve hacked into on more than one occasion,” Mondo chuckled. “Though, I’m curious as to why you would even bother. Don’t you know everything it has to say about your past and your heritage already?”

            “I suppose,” Silver muttered. “I just… I don’t know.” He admitted softly. “Why would you be willing to tell my father that? It’s not exactly in his nature to allow a simple Agent to question his orders or decisions.”

            “After I… I failed to save her… I felt _responsible_ for looking after you in her stead. I tried to not become personally _attached_ , but…”

            “If you’re trying to say that you’ve fallen for me,” Silver narrowed his eyes. He’d had a painfully similar conversation once. He’d rather not have another, with someone _else_ , particularly not in a situation where things weren’t… reciprocated.

            Mondo laughed.

            “No, I’m too old for you, anyway.”

            “I’ve heard _that_ before.”

            “That’s completely different,” Mondo said softly. “Besides, she wasn’t _that_ much older than you.”

            “No, her age was never the problem, was it?” Silver stood up and walked to the far side of the room. He pressed his forehead against the wall, leaning his body into it.

            “I still don’t understand why you agreed to join,” Mondo changed the subject. “I thought you would have considered it to be the deepest insult your father could give you.”

            “No, the deepest insult is—!”

            “That too,” Mondo cut him off in a firm tone. “But, you know what I mean. I… I expected you to refuse and to do so in a… very angry fashion. I half-expected you to run away for good. Perhaps… perhaps I even _wanted_ you to.”

            “What?”

            “I couldn’t help you get away that night, three years ago,” Mondo admitted in a low tone. “I _had_ to drag you back to the Team. I couldn’t help you heal by myself. You would have _died_ if I hadn’t brought you back. It’s _my_ fault you’re still trapped here. I wasn’t… strong enough to save… both of you.” His voice began to break under the strain of his words.

            “It wasn’t your fault,” Silver whispered, still refusing to look at him. “You did what you could, what you thought to be best.”

            “Still. The fact remains that you could have been free that night. She died in the attempt to get you both out of the Team for good. And I dragged you right back in.”

            “Mondo.”

            “Which is worse, Silver? Death? Or living as a slave to the darkness in your own heart?”  

            Silver stared at the ground. He thought of the Spiritomb trapped in the lab somewhere nearby. He thought of what the scientists could be doing to it, the scientific torture that the Rockets considered to be within their right to perform.

            The torture of a living thing, out of a scientific curiosity and a military desire to control a living weapon.

            He had seen it many times before. There were only two ways it would end: either the experiment would fail and the creature would simply die from the torture—or be euthanized—or the experiment would succeed and the creature would retaliate and use its deadly power to earn its freedom.

            The latter had only happened once, but it had been a destructive enough day to be burned into his memory forever. How his father could have possibly forgotten it, Silver couldn’t be one-hundred-percent sure.

            Was this going to be _his_ version of the same incident? Instead of a unique, genetic nightmare, was it going to be an ancient, rare beast that unleashed its rage?

            Silver closed his eyes, fighting back the lump in his throat. The smoldering heat in his stomach churned, erupting into a small flame, as a weight lodged itself in his chest.

 

…

 

The sound of water splashing as the creek made its way down the mountainside filled the otherwise silent morning air.

            Ash walked through the falling stream, tilting his head to run the water down through his hair.

            “ _What_ ,” a voice interrupted his peaceful moment, “are you _doing_?”

            Ash turned to look at the Lucario, the latter looking at him with one brow raised, her arms crossed.

            “Don’t start,” he grumbled. “You _threw_ yourself in water the other day.”

            “We’d just been in a _desert_ ,” Aura said slowly. “ _That’s_ justified. You, on the other hand, _just_ washed your face.”

            “How would _you_ know?” Ash asked. “You weren’t around.”

            “If there’s some _other_ reason you smell like soap, then I don’t _want_ to know.”

            Ash blinked.

            _Lucario. Pokémon. Stronger sense of smell_.

            _Of course._ He shook his head.

            “I knew that.”

            Aura shook her head and sighed, but said nothing further.

            “You two ready to go?” Brendan’s voice betrayed his presence behind Aura before his scent did.

            The Lucario turned sharply to look at him.

            _How? What?_ Her thoughts were rapid and broken.

            “Sure, whenever you are,” Ash said with a shrug.

            “Aura,” Wally walked up to the group. “Misty and I are ready to start the distraction whenever you are.”

            “I—I—I—?”Aura stammered, before clearing her throat. “Right,” she sighed with a nod. “Let’s get this insanity over with.” She went with the green-haired teen back into the dense trees of the mountain forest.

            “Don’t let it bug you too much,” Wally said with a light smirk.

            “What?” Aura blinked at him.

            “Brendan’s a researcher,” Wally explained. “He’s got to be able to sneak up on the Pokémon he’s studying without spooking them or scaring them away.”

            Aura looked at him.

            “It’s his cologne,” Wally groaned, “it’s designed to hide his scent from Pokémon, no matter how strong their sense of smell is. And, apparently, it works rather well. Aggravates my allergies like nothing else, but it lets us do what we do.”

            “You two have such different goals, from what you said last night,” Aura pointed out. “Not to mention, Brendan’s apparently a walking death trap. Why gallivant around the world with him?”

            “When I started out, I was too inexperienced and weak to make it on my own. Brendan saved my life and helped me gain some independence and basic survival ability. Now, _I’m_ the one looking after _him_ , making sure he doesn’t fall off a cliff or something.”

            Wally grimaced in a long silent moment before continuing.

            “And, there are some experiences that, when you share them with someone…” his voice trailed off. “Well, it forges a bond that doesn’t let you just go your separate ways so easily. In many ways, it’s more binding than blood.”

            “I understand _that_.” Aura nodded, flashes of memories—of bloodshed and battle—passed through her mind. “Yes, I can understand that _perfectly_.”

            “You guys ready?” Misty asked, standing in the small clearing where Aura and Wally stopped. Nyx was lying on the ground on one side of her, and her Politoed was jumping and clapping happily on the other. A Grovyle stood nearby, leaning against a tree, eyes closed in a disinterested expression.

            “Ready as we’ll ever be,” Aura sighed.

            _I can’t_ believe _I agreed to this._

            “Palmer?” Wally turned to his Grovyle.

            The Grass Pokémon opened one eye to glance at his trainer, before closing it again and scoffing softly. 

            “Are _you_ ready?”

            The Grovyle didn’t even open his eyes, instead simply unleashing a barrage of Bullet Seed onto a nearby tree trunk.

            “You _can_ just say yes, you know,” Wally sighed.

            Palmer scoffed again

            “Well, _he’s_ charming,” Aura muttered.

            “You have no room to talk,” Misty gave the Lucario a light slap on the backside of her head.

            “I have _no idea_ what you’re talking about,” Aura crossed her arms. “I’m the _epitome_ of friendliness.”

            The teenage girl and Lucario looked at each other for a long moment.

            With a sputter, they both gave a short burst of laughter.

            “I don’t get it.” Wally looked at Nyx.

            “It’s… a long story,” the Shiny Umbreon sighed.

            “Is everyone ready?” Wally repeated. “Remember our attack plan? So to speak.”

            “Yep!” Nyx barked with a grin, before charging a Shadow Ball and unleashing it onto a boulder. “They won’t know what hit them!”

            “If we can give Ash and Brendan a wide enough window to do their part, then they _really_ won’t.”

            “Will our distraction work?” Misty asked.

            “Can we attack from within the cover of the forest?” Aura asked, looking to Wally. “Does it extend that far?” She massaged her shoulder.

            “If they haven’t burned it yet,” Wally said softly. “Why?”

            Aura closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding ache in her chest. She fought the torrent of thoughts and visions in her mind and forced her mind to become utterly calm.

            _Clear your mind, focus your thoughts_ , her father’s voice whispered in her memory.

            Aura clenched her fists and the purple-glow of Psychic energy began to radiate from them. Her aura sensors rose in the same glow and when she opened her eyes, they revealed neither their whites nor irises but instead emitted the same light of the Psychic energy.

            Aura focused on the presence of the various small rocks and forest debris around them. Some of them began to float into the air at varying heights, all of them bathed in the same purple light.

            “Because,” Aura chuckled darkly, “if I can manage to not burn myself out too quickly, I can help make our small force of about ten seem to be about _fifty._ ” She shut out the nagging in the back of her mind, the whisper of the ache beneath her ribs. “Maybe even more.”

            _And the scum of Team Rocket will once again suffer under the power of Arcanus._

            “Which will make our distraction all the more effective.” Wally grinned. “If we’re lucky, Brendan and Ash just _might_ not have _any_ resistance to fight at all!”

            “I can’t keep this energy going forever!” Aura barked. “Let’s go!”

            “Let me just give the signal,” Wally said, raising one hand to his mouth. Placing two fingers between his lips, he let out a whistle, mimicking the call of a Bird Pokémon.

 

…

 

Somewhere beyond the forest, at the rocky foot of the mountains, Ash and Brendan started and turned at the distant sound.

            “That would be Wally telling us they’re about to set up their distraction,” Brendan said. “Which means that we can start any time you’re ready,” he gave the Swampert behind him a sharp jab with his elbow. “You lazy frog.”

            The Water Pokémon gave a low roar of protest at the light insult, before standing.

            “Oh, don’t give me that!” The young researcher smirked. “We don’t have all day, you know.” He took a Pokéball off of his belt, tossing it up in the air. “Lune, come on out!”

            “Noctooooowl!” A Noctowl materialized in a burst of red light.

            “Lune, I need you to follow at a distance and be ready to fly in and help if I give the signal.”

            “Noooooct!” The Bird Pokémon chirred before soaring upwards into the sky.

            “Pidgeot! Follow and help him!” Ash tossed a Pokéball upwards.

            “Geeeoooot!” Pidgeot materialized with a sharp cry and followed the Noctowl up into the light cloud cover.

            “Ready, Pikachu?” Ash asked the Electric Pokémon on his shoulder.

            “Pika.” Pikachu nodded.

            “Remember, try to keep your Pokémon in combat limited to no more than three at a time,” Brendan said softly as they started up the mountainside.

            “I know.”

            “Wonder why Wally didn’t put up more of a fuss when we were planning this,” Brendan mused aloud. “He’s normally a lot more vocal about how I ‘need to stop being so damn reckless,’ or whatever.”

            “I can think of _one_ reason.” Ash smirked.

            “Yeah, well, I guess if it wasn’t for our… secret weapon, we’d…” Brendan trailed off. He stopped at the top of a ridge, looking down into the slight ravine between the mountains below. “Get down!” He hissed, turning sharply towards Ash. Before Ash could react, the other teen had him tackled to the ground behind a nearby boulder.

            “What the hell?” Ash asked through gritted teeth. “ _What_ is _wrong_ with _you?_ ”

            “There are two Rockets down there,” Brendan explained as he let Ash up, “most likely on patrol.”

            “Let me see,” Ash lifted his head to peer over the boulder. He saw the two familiar Rocket Agents and their Meowth companion at the bottom of the ravine. “Jessie, James, and Meowth?” He muttered to himself. “Explains why we haven’t seen them around for a while.”

            _And here, I was just hoping that Aura had actually scared them into giving up following me for Pikachu._

“I know those three,” Ash told Brendan. “We’ve run into them… a lot. They’re basically harmless. We should be able to take them, easy.”

            “It’s not _them_ we need to worry about,” Brendan reminded him. “If they alert the others to our presence, then our _entire_ plan is ruined. That Spiritomb is depending on us.”

            Ash blinked.

            “I… I guess you’re right,” he admitted. “But, we _have_ to go that way, eventually, don’t we?”

            “All we have to do is wait until…” Brendan peered over the boulder. Eventually, he heard the sounds of a distant battle, and judged from the trio’s reactions that they had as well. “…Until their friends have something much more pressing on their hands than to hear them.”

            The two teenage boys exchanged smirks, before throwing themselves over the boulder and started running down the sharp incline into the ravine, their Pokémon close on their heels.

            “Vlad!” Brendan yelled. “Get their attention with a Hydro Cannon!”

            “Pikachu!” Ash added. “Give their attack an extra jolt! Thunder!”

            The torrent of electrified water hit the trio before they could react to the sight of the two teenagers charging at them. They fell to the ground with loud screams of pain as the shock seared through them.

            “It’s da twerp!” Meowth finally yelled out, noticing the two boys now standing in front of them.

            “Pikachu!” Jessie and James exclaimed in unison, looking at the little Electric Pokémon standing before them with a dangerous grin and sparking cheeks. They both reached for Pokéballs on their belts.

            “No!” Meowth leapt at his human partners, swiping them each in the face with a Scratch attack. “Whadaya think you’re doin’? Da’ ‘Lil Boss said no!”

            “Little _who_?” Ash blinked at them.

            “Whhaaaahahhahahaaaaaa!” James suddenly started to run away, screaming maniacally and pulling Meowth through the air by the tail with him.

            “Heart of a Luxray, that one,” Brendan shook his head, exchanging a glance with Vlad. The Swampert made a confused growl, as if he wasn’t used to his opponents running away in such a manner.

            “Uh,” Jessie backed away slowly, suddenly finding herself alone against an opponent whose strength she knew and one she didn’t. “I…I—I…” She stammered, before turning and bolting after the others as fast as she could run. “WAIT FOR MEEEEEEE!”

            “Well,” Ash tilted his head in mild confusion, “ _that_ was easy.”

            “Hopefully they won’t alert _too_ many people to our attack.” Brendan nodded.

            “Which reminds me,” Ash narrowed his eyes, “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the others last night, but _how_ are we supposed to break into their base if we don’t even know _where_ the entrance is? Not to mention, I’m sure the Team has some entrances booby-trapped.”

            Brendan smirked, taking another Pokéball—a Luxury Ball—off of his belt and tossing it casually into the air. An Aggron materialized in a burst of light with a deep roar.

            “Ash, meet Nero,” Brendan said. “He’s gonna knock on Team Rocket’s door for us. Nero, this is Ash. He’s gonna help us save that Spiritomb.”

            Nero roared appreciatively.

            “Whadaya waitin’ for, buddy?” Brendan asked Nero. “Go knock on their door. Rather, knock it _in_.”

            Nero gave another loud roar, before tearing across the ravine in a mad dash.

            “Hey!” Brendan yelled after him as he and the others chased after the Aggron. “Wait for us!”

            Eventually, the Aggron stopped at the foot of one of the mountains bordering the ravine, and began scraping at the ground before his feet. After a few moments, the others caught up, the two teens’ chests heaving with heavy breaths from trying in vain to keep up. Nero sniffed at the area he’d been scratching at, before giving a bellow of triumph.

            “What?” Ash asked in between breaths. “How… how is… how is _this_ … supposed to… to be the entrance?”

            “Well,” Brendan didn’t make eye contact, “we’re… not looking for the _entrance_ … per se.”

            “What?”

            Pikachu leapt up onto his trainer’s shoulder, exchanging a brief glance with him.

            “We’re making one,” Brendan gave a dangerous grin.

            Ash blinked.

            “Their base is underground, but there’s nothing, no dirt, no rock, no _metal,_ that Nero can’t tear straight through,” Brendan explained.

            Ash grinned, getting it.

            “Don’t hesitate, now,” Brendan added, giving Nero a light jab with his elbow. “Let’s go tell those Rockets hello! Break down into their base with Earth Power followed by a barrage of Metal Claw!”

            Nero roared again, a soft yellow glow radiating from his entire body as the ground in front of him began to emit the same glow and crack and break. Nero began to swipe at the ground with both, glowing, claws, the Metal Claw attacks forming a digging motion that sent large chunks of dirt and stone flying upwards in a constant stream. The Aggron quickly vanished into the large hole he was boring into the earth, the upward torrent of soil not relenting until the loud _clank_ that signified the Steel Pokémon reaching the metal frame of the underground base.

            “That didn’t take long,” Ash said.

            “Good,” Brendan nodded, “because we can’t afford to lose _any_ time. The distraction’s not going to keep the bulk of the Grunts and Agents away for long, and we’re likely to face oppositions from their higher-ranked Elites.”

            “You know an awful _lot_ about the way Team Rocket works.” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “Helps to know someone that’s infiltrated the Team so many times.” Brendan shrugged, before walking to the edge of the deep hole. “What are you _waiting_ for, Nero? Break through with a Brick Break!”

            Deep in the hole, the Aggron let out an echoing roar, before smashing through the metal frame with both claws as if it were made of aged paper. The large Steel-type fell through the new hole into the hallway of the base with a loud _thud_!

            “Well,” Brendan took a step back away from the hole and looked at Ash, “leap before you look!”

            “Wait, you’re not going to—!” Ash exclaimed, but couldn’t finish before the other teen jumped and fell straight down into the hole. “ _Brendan!_ ” Ash ran to the edge and looked down it.

            “I’m fine,” his voice was calm, “I’ve got Nero here to catch us, remember? Now hurry up and get down here while the coast is still clear.”

            Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances, before following Brendan’s advice. The shadows of the earthy sides of the hole rushed past them as they fell into the bright metallic underbelly beneath them. Just before the painful landing could hit them, strong metallic arms broke their fall harmlessly.

            “Thanks, Nero,” Ash said as the Aggron let them down gently.

            “Vlad?” Brendan called up the hole to the surface.

            He was answered by the Swampert suddenly landing right next to him with effortless grace.

            “Swaaaaaampert!” Vlad gave his trainer an affectionate hug.

            “Oh, get off, ya overgrown tadpole!” Brendan pushed him away. “We’ve got a Pokémon to save.” He took a Pokéball off of his belt. “Time for combatant number three. Andrea! I need your strength and your sense of smell!”

            “GRRRAAAAAN!” A Granbull materialized in the burst of light. She eagerly punched the air with quick jabs. “Gran! Bull!”

            “Ash, you might want to get your fighters ready,” Brendan turned to him.

            “Right.” Ash nodded. “Well, Pikachu, are _you_ ready?”

            “Pikachu!” The Electric mouse said with enthusiasm, his cheeks sparking with his anticipation.

            “Then let’s go!” Ash grabbed two Pokéballs from his belt. “Buizel! Heracross!”

            “Bui!” The Water type Pokémon crossed his arms in a confident pose as he appeared in the burst of light and energy.

            “Heracross!” The Bug Pokémon yelled as he took shape next to him.

            “Let’s show Team Rocket that they can’t just take what they want!” Ash clenched his fists.

            “Andrea!” Brendan addressed his Granbull again. “There’s a Spiritomb somewhere around here, likely in some sort of laboratory. You should remember how they smell; find them, girl!”

            “Gran!” Andrea nodded, before sniffing down both ends of the metallic hallway. After a moment, she stood facing one direction and pointed. “Bull! Gran! Granbull!”

            “Well,” Brendan smirked, “if you’re sure. I’ve never been one for much subtlety. _Chaaaarge!_ ” And with his battle cry, the teenage boy started to dash down the hall, with Andrea in right front of him and Vlad and Nero just behind.

            Ash and his Pokémon exchanged brief glances.

            “Eh, why not?” He shrugged. They ran down the hall after the others.

            As they ran down the hall, one of the doors several yards ahead opened and a few Grunts ran out in a panic, stopping and staring at the sight of the two teens and their Pokémon barreling towards them.

            “Vlad!” Brendan yelled. “Knock them aside with Muddy Water!”

            “SWAMP!” Vlad unleashed a wave of slightly brown water on the Grunts, knocking some of them to the ground and the others against the wall.

            “They’ve gotten through the defenses already!” One of the Grunts against the wall yelled out, his voice quite noticeably strained.

            “Well, _that_ was short-lived,” Brendan sighed as they continued running after Andrea down the maze of hallways.

            “ _You’re_ the one that decided to run down the hallway yelling like a madman!” Ash reminded him.

            “Right.”

            Up at the next turn, an Agent ran up to confront them from around the bend.

            “No, you don’t!” She yelled, throwing two Pokéballs, sending out a Mawhile and Magmar.

            “Heracross!” Ash yelled as they charged the Grunt. “Focus Punch! Buizel! Aqua Jet!”

            “Cross!” Heracross pummeled the Steel Pokémon to the ground.

            “Bui!” Buizel slammed the Fire-type Pokémon against the wall in a burst of water.

            The Grunt gaped at her defeated Pokémon, not even noticing as the others knocked her over as they continued to run down the hallways.

            “I… I’m going… to fall over… if we… don’t get there… soon,” Ash told Brendan between breaths.

            “Andrea!” Brendan yelled to his Granbull. “How much further is—?”

            “Bull!” The Granbull slid to a stop suddenly, turning to face a set of large, sliding doors.

            “Whoa!” Brendan stumbled and fell, toppling clean over the purple canine Pokémon.

            Nero leapt over them and landed on the ground just past them with a thud, grabbing the walls with his claws to steady himself as he stopped suddenly. The metallic walls groaned as they bent and ripped under his grip. Vlad couldn’t stop in time and the Swampert slammed against the fortunately steady Aggron.

            Ash and his Pokémon managed to slide to a halt just before they could collide with Brendan or Andrea.

            “Already?” Ash blinked. “That was fast.”

            “We _have_ to be fast, remember?”

            “Good point.”

            “Well, I _hope_ this is it, anyway,” Brendan admitted. “Now, to open the door. I don’t suppose any of you has the password?” He motioned to a keypad on the wall to the right of the doors.

            Pikachu looked at Ash, the latter glaring at the door with narrowed eyes. The Electric Pokémon tapped his trainer’s leg gently with his tail, giving Ash a light jolt.

            “I got it!” The brief shock caused his slowly formulating idea to rapidly come together. “Quilava!” He tossed a Pokéball, sending out the Fire Pokémon in a burst of light. “Give us a hand! Flamethrower!”

            “Quil! Lava!” Quilava exhaled a long burst of flames onto the door. The metal began to glow slightly red from the intense heat.

            “Good!” Ash recalled the Fire Pokémon back into its Pokéball. “Now, Buizel! Cool it off again with a Water Gun!”

            “Buizel!” Buizel obliged. The column of water hit the door and rapidly changed to hissing steam. The metal cooled and turned a much darker color than it had been before the Flamethrower hit it.

            “You wanna let Nero knock?” Ash smirked at Brendan, who blinked briefly.

            “Sure,” he chuckled. “You heard the man,” he turned to the Aggron. “Metal Head.”

            Nero walked over to the door and lifted his head back. Its metal casing began to glow and Nero head-butted the door with great force. The weakened metal broke from the power of the Steel-type attack, revealing the lab beyond it.

            “After you,” Brendan bowed dramatically to his Pokémon as they entered through the new opening. “And you, good sirs,” he echoed the motion to Ash and _his_ Pokémon.

            Pikachu leapt back up onto his trainer’s shoulder, exchanging a glance with him.

            This guy was _weird_.

            They reluctantly entered the room anyway, with Brendan following behind.

            The lab was unevenly lit, with nearly all of the lights dimmed. The vague shapes and shadows of the computers and machines and other equipment of more nefarious natures surrounded them in a silent, utter lack of any motion.

            “Huh,” Brendan muttered. “I expected there to be at least _some_ resistance.”

            “Don’t jinx it,” Ash said.

            “Do you see it anywhere?” Brendan ignored his warning. “It’ll likely be in some sort of cage, knowing Team Rocket.”

            “You mean, like that?” Ash pointed to a small metallic object sitting on a nearby counter. It was a small, metallic cage, and inside it sat—

            “The keystone!” Brendan cheered. He ran over to it, picking it up.

            _He’s right,_ Ash narrowed his eyes. _This is too easy._

            As if on cue, the entire lab was engulfed in a nearly-blinding wash of light.

            “Well, well, well,” a female voice sighed from somewhere behind Ash. “You really _are_ that stupid.”

            Ash glanced about quickly. Surrounding them in an almost complete circle along the walls of the lab were at least several dozen Grunts, every single one of them tossing a Pokéball or two up and down in anticipation. The speaker appeared to be the Rocket in charge, a young woman who couldn’t have been much more than a couple years older than Ash, with two sets of golden curls, one poking out from either side of her red-and-white Rocket’s cap. In fact, she seemed rather familiar…

            _Mount Quena!_ Ash realized. _She was the Rocket in charge under Giovanni when Team Rocket tried to capture Mewtwo on Mount Quena._ For a brief instant, Ash was afraid that she’d recognized _him_ , as well. _No, wait._ He blinked. _Mewtwo wiped their memories. They_ can’t _remember us._

            _What is her name, again?_

            “Stupid?” Brendan chuckled, turning to face her as his Pokémon surrounded him protectively. “We got _this_ far with absolutely no difficulty, didn’t we?”

            “You think _you_ did that on your _own_?” The Rocket laughed, her voice soaked with scorn. “We _let_ you in, of course. And, now, you’re surrounded, outnumbered, and hopelessly _outmatched._ You!” She turned to a nearby Grunt.

            “Yes, Elite 009!” He saluted her sharply.

            _That’s it!_ Ash remembered with a jolt. _She’s that 009 girl… Domino._

            “Go tell my _partner_ that we will not be needing his assistance in this sector after all,” she told the Grunt. “He should focus on leading the assault on the obvious distraction outside.”

            “Ma’am!” The Grunt dashed out of the smashed door and off into the hallways.

            “Take them!” Domino snarled to the others, glaring at Ash and Brendan.

            The Grunts tossed their Pokéballs, and a swarm of various Pokémon appeared in a surge of lights and roars and battle cries.

            “Oh, no,” Brendan sighed with mock fear. “It would seem that we’re totally surrounded.”

            Ash groaned inwardly, shooting him a look.

            _This is completely ridiculous._

“Yep,” Ash said in a similar tone. “We’re outnumbered.”

            “What _ever_ shall we do?” Brendan added, before smirking at Ash. “Nero!” He shouted quickly. “Use Hyper Beam! Straight up through the ceiling!”

            “ _WHAT?_ ” Domino yelled.

            “GGRRRROOOOOON!” The Aggron bellowed as he obliged, unleashing a burst of yellow energy straight up above them. The Attack ripped a wide tunnel through the layers upon layers of metal in the floors above, straight through to the outside.

            “What is he doing?” One of the Grunts asked another.

            “Ready, Vlad?” Brendan elbowed his Swampert. “Ash?”

            “ _Oh, hurry up, already, before they attack,_ ” Pikachu groaned.

            “On my mark,” Brendan said, before whistling in three sliding notes, low to high and back to low.

            Instantly, Vlad unleashed a torrent of Muddy Water on the surrounding Grunts and their Pokémon. Pikachu joined in, leaping off of Ash’s shoulder to strike any who avoided the Water-Type attack with a Thunderbolt.

            “Gran!” Andrea slammed a nearby Graveler with a Brick Break.

            “Heracross!” Ash yelled. “Megahorn! Buizel! Aqua Jet!”

            The Pokémon obeyed with battle cries of their own.

            Before Ash or Brendan could give further orders against the reactions of the Grunts, the entire room trembled and shook with a loud roar. Everything stopped—every attack and every voice—as each Rocket turned back and forth between the others in stunned silence.

            “What… _hell_?” Domino finally spoke after a long moment. “What… was… _that_?”

            “Our secret weapon,” Brendan smirked.

            “What are you idiots _waiting for_?” Domino shouted, hitting the Grunt who was unfortunate enough to be the closest to her. “ _GET THEM NOW!_ ”

            Before a single Grunt could act, however, the room shook again, this time accompanied by the sound of wings, of something _big_ flying their way through the tunnel Nero had blasted through the ceiling. A large, soft-orange colored blur zoomed in the battle-torn laboratory, circling around Ash, Brendan, and their Pokémon with another bellowing roar, unleashing the golden energy of a Hyper Beam on any Grunt or their Pokémon who failed to get out of the way. The newcomer then settled itself on the ground between Ash and Brendan, letting out another roar, this time facing Domino directly.

            “Dragonite!” The Elite identified the Pokémon. It roared at her again in response, and her eyes widened. “You’ve got _Lance_ working with you!”

            “What can I say?” Brendan shrugged. “Wally and my little escapade in rescuing Rayquaza from two of your buffoons caught his attention.”

            “He certainly seems to get himself involved in the welfare of Legendary Pokémon.” Ash nodded.

            Dragonite gave a cheerful hum, before glaring at Domino again.

            “What was that order you gave the Grunts before?” Brendan rubbed his chin in a mock ponder. “Oh, _yeah_. ‘Take them.’ That’s good, eh, buddy?” He looked at the Dragonite.

            The Dragon Pokémon nodded once with a happy vocalization.

            “Just what _I_ thought. _Take them_.”

            The Dragonite threw itself at the nearest cluster of recovering Grunts, striking them with alternating Fire Punches and Thunder Punches, before slamming the entire group with an Aqua Tail.

            “Help out!” Ash yelled. “Thunder! Take Down! Ice Punch!”

            Pikachu, Heracross, and Buizel each obliged with their respective orders, rejoining the fray.

            “Vlad!” Brendan added. “Nero! Hit them with a double Mud-Slap!”

            The mud thrown with the combined attack smacked several Pokémon and their trainers in the face, temporarily blinding them and causing them to stumble around and into each other in their confusion.

            Dragonite slammed into a Grunt’s Machoke with a powerful Dragon Rush attack, knocking him back into his trainer, the momentum sending them both into a group of flustered Grunts.

            Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, most of the Grunts began to scramble for the various exits, pouring out of the lab in haste with nervous shouts and terrified cries.

            “GET BACK HERE, _COWARDS!_ ” Domino bellowed at one group as they ran past her and through the ripped main doors. She swore bitterly. “Fine. I’ll take care of them _myself_.”

            “We need to get the Spiritomb out of here before any reinforcements can be forced to show up,” Brendan muttered to Ash.

            “Right.” He nodded.

            “Andrea!” Brendan yelled. “Get the small cage with the keystone!”

            “NO, YOU DON’T!” Domino yelled, tossing one of her tulips at the Granbull. The purple canine Pokémon managed to back-flip out of the way before the black flower could unleash its electric fury on her.

            Buizel, on the other hand, wasn’t as lucky. The Water Pokémon cried out in pain as the electricity seared through him.

            “Buizel!” Ash shouted in concern. “Return!” He recalled Buizel to his Pokéball. “Brendan!” Ash yelled to his companion.

            “On it! Andrea, break the cage open with Brick Break!”

            With the Granbull’s powerful strike, the cage split open and the keystone was free. Brendan reached over, grabbed it, and tossed the stone towards Ash.

            “Catch!” He yelled before turning his attention to Nero. “Use Metal Claw on those pipes above her!” He pointed to a series of pipes against the ceiling right above where Domino stood.

            The Aggron roared, leaping into the air and slashing at the piping. Thick smoke poured out, enveloping Domino and spreading through the lab. Ash barely caught the keystone in time, stumbling about as the weight of it threw off his sense of balance. 

            “Ash!” Brendan yelled. “We’ll hold her off! Take the Spiritomb and get out to the others!”

            “Right!” Ash nodded, before giving a sharp whistle.

            With a loud _churr_ ing sound, Pidgeot dove through the crude tunnel into the lab. The Bird Pokémon landed in front of his trainer.

            “Return!” Ash recalled Heracross, as Pikachu leapt back onto his shoulder. The Keystone safe in his grip, Ash climbed onto Pidgeot’s back. “Don’t wait too long!” Ash yelled, before Pidgeot took off and up out the tunnel again.

            “I’ll be right behind you guys!” Brendan yelled after him, recalling Andrea to her ’ball.

“You two, too,” he smiled to Vlad and Nero as he recalled them to their respective ’balls. “You did a great job today, guys.” He turned towards the smoke again, hoping that it wasn’t hindering the female Elite’s ability to hear. “You know, for someone who calls their underlings cowards, you’re _just_ as pathetic. All of you Rockets are. You tear apart families, you poach Pokémon even from the nest, and worst of all, you _torture_ Pokémon and people alike, forcing them to fight _your_ battles, and for _what_? Power? Money? You’re nothing more than criminal scum. You soulless, heartless, inhuman, _unfeeling monsters!_ ”

            “RRRRAAAAAAARGH!” Domino dashed out from the smoke, charging at Brendan and punching him square in the cheek before he could react. 

            Falling back on hard-learned instincts, Brendan rolled with the attack, turning himself around and using the momentum to power a roundhouse kick. His counterattack struck Domino in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled backwards, doubled over, making a strange heaving sound as she tried to catch her breath.

            “All right, all right,” Brendan chuckled as he massaged the side of his face with one hand. “I’ll admit it. I left myself open for that.” He took a couple steps back, readjusting his hat before raising both hands in a ready stance. “That’s the only opening you’re going to get.”

            Domino said nothing, tossing another tulip at Brendan. Reacting just in time, he tilted his head to the side and felt the flower graze the green band of his hat.

            “Hey!’ He barked. “Watch it! I only have one of these!”

            “You’re pathetic!” Domino snarled, launching herself at him, with a flurry of jabs and kicks.

            “Me?” Brendan chuckled as he gracefully rolled with and avoided the majority of her attacks. When she grabbed his shoulder and used it as a brace for back-flipping over him in an attempt to gain an upper hand, he lightly grabbed her wrist and pivoted around to face her once more. Arm in hand, he lifted it and spun her around in a manner similar to a ballroom dance, followed by a slight dip. “I’m not the one who’s a terrible dancer,” he said with a smirk.

            The Dragonite sighed.

            “What.” Domino simply stared at him.

            The Dragonite roared impatiently at Brendan.

            “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” Brendan let go of Domino, who fell to the floor. “It has been _lovely_ ,” he gave a slight bow, “but I’m afraid I’ll have to finish this some other time.” He leapt gracefully onto Dragonite’s back.

            “ _What._ ”

            “Toodles!” He waved his fingers at her before the Dragonite launched up through the tunnel to the surface and into the sky.

            Domino stood up, gaping up through the crude hole through the base above her. After a short moment, the shock wore off and what had happened sunk in. Letting out a loud, bitter curse, she threw another tulip straight down in front of her. The fake flower sent out a series of electric bolts, but she didn’t even notice as a few danced dangerously close to her feet. She simply stared at the distant sky above her, at the shrinking dot of the punk and the Dragonite, at the victory that had been stolen from the Team.

            _Giovanni is_ not _going to like this…_

 

…

 

Ash looked over to where Aura lay, slumped in a heap at the base of a tree, completely unconscious. Nyx sat next to her, muttering something back and forth to Pikachu. 

            “What happened to her?” Ash asked, turning to Misty.

            “She burned herself out,” a voice spoke behind him.

            Ash turned around to see the tall, cloaked man, his short, spiky red hair tinted a slight golden shade in the sunlight.

            “What do you mean?”

            “About halfway through our fight,” Misty explained, “her Psychic attack wore off. She collapsed and passed out. We haven’t been able to wake her, yet.”

            “She also yelled something incoherent, and clenched her chest and her chest spike before she fainted,” Wally added, not looking at them as he focused on his Gardevoir. “I had to use Ruby here—and Lance had to help with his Electabuzz—to pick up the attack again before the Rockets could notice that the barrage of Psychic-powered assault had suddenly ceased.”

            Ash looked at Misty, who gave a subtle shake of her head.

            “She’s not a machine,” Misty defended. “She has limits. And… she’s massively out of practice.”

            “That’s unusual for your Pokémon, Ash,” Lance turned to the teenager. “You always seemed to be the kind of Trainer to keep your Pokémon in top form. They _always_ seemed healthy to me.”

            “Aura’s not mine,” Ash shook his head. “Or Misty’s, either.”

            “She’s feral,” Misty added. “She’d been living in the wild for quite a while when she… decided to join us.”

            “Why?”

            Ash and Misty exchanged a glance.

            “We’re not sure,” Ash admitted.

            “She _was_ half-starved when we met her, though,” Misty said quickly. “If nothing else, at least we’re helping her become a bit healthier. She’s probably gained at least half of her old weight again from the food alone since she joined us.”

            Lance chuckled.

            “No one said a noble act had to be outrageously brave or dangerous,” he said with a nod. “Glad to know that she’s in capable hands, in any case. Speaking of, I’ll be taking the Spiritomb to an old friend of mine back home in Blackthorn.” He showed the pink-and-yellow Heal Ball that now contained the rescued Pokémon. “If anyone can heal the scars it likely got from the Rockets’ tortures, it’s him. Thank you for your assistance with our rescue plan.”

            “Just glad to be able to help again,” Ash smiled, “and that there weren’t any angry Legendaries or a rampaging Gyarados this time.”

            Lance laughed.

            “In all seriousness,” the Dragon Master’s face sobered, “Team Rocket’s not going to be happy with what we’ve pulled. They’re likely to start scouring the area for us—if not all of Johto. It would be best if we all went our separate ways and put as much distance between them and us as possible, and quickly.”

            “We’re meeting some friends in Union Cave,” Ash explained.

            “Take the North entrance, you should make it without getting caught,” Brendan suggested, “if you move quickly, of course.”

            “What about you two?” Lance looked at Brendan and Wally. “Where are you headed?”

            “There’s a series of fishing piers that stretch out into the gulf to the North of here.” Wally said in a level tone. “We’re going to take Archie—my Flygon—and fly east from them across the gulf and into the forest on the other side.”

            “We still have some things to do in the area before we can _really_ move on,” Brendan added. “Plus, we can monitor the Rockets from there, and get a message to you if they do anything… particularly nefarious.”

            “Nefarious?” Ash muttered to Misty. The teenage girl sighed, covering her forehead with one palm, but didn’t respond.

            “I appreciate that,” Lance nodded again, “but, please. Don’t do anything reckless or put yourselves in danger. The Rockets haven’t been particularly murderous for years now, but they could quite easily go back to their old ways.”

            The Dragon Master climbed onto his Dragonite’s back.

            “In any case, take care of yourselves, and I hope our paths cross again someday,” he said to all four teenagers.

            Brendan nodded. “May it be under happier circumstances.”

            The Dragonite took off into the sky with his trainer, letting out a happy vocalization as they vanished into the distance.

            “Lance is right,” Wally said in a low voice. “We need to get going.” He turned to Ash and Misty. “Thank you again for your assistance.”

            “Wally, man, who _talks_ like that?” Brendan gave his friend a light slap on the shoulder. “In any case, it’s been fun, guys! We’ll have to team up against those thugs again sometime.”

            “Y-yeah,” Ash stammered. “Sure. Of course!”

            “Catch ya on the flip side!” Brendan yelled back as he and his companion walked off into the north.

            “Who talks like _that_?” Ash asked Misty as soon as they were out of earshot.

            “I don’t know,” Misty shrugged, “but I think we finally found someone more overconfident and reckless than _you_.”

            “What is _that_ supposed to mean?”

            “Let’s go before the Rockets really _do_ send people out to kill us,” Misty ignored his retort. The teenage girl walked back to Aura’s unconscious form, scooping up the Lucario in her arms with minor difficulty.

            “Want me to—?”

            “I’ve got it!” Misty insisted. “Nyx! Pikachu! Let’s go!” She started walking off towards the northwest.

            Ash and the two Pokémon exchanged glances, before hurrying after her.

            “So…Lance,” Nyx spoke for the first time in hours. “He’s… an interesting guy. With… Dragons, and… and all.”

            “What did you think of him?” Ash decided that the Shiny Umbreon’s awkward, hesitant speech was better than walking in silence. “I know we’ve all mentioned him before, but you’ve never been able to meet a member of any region’s Elite Four, have you?”

            “No,” Nyx said softly. “He was friendly and noble enough, I suppose. Level-headed. Clever. Kind-hearted. And….”

            “ _Yes?_ ” Pikachu asked, as he jumped to his trainer’s shoulder.

            “He was shorter than I expected,” the Umbreon admitted.

            Ash and Misty exchanged a look and soft, amused grins.

 

…

 

Silver kicked the piece of debris with great force, the metal chunk ricocheting off of the wall with a loud _cluthunk!_

            It had been _his_ victory, _his_ moment, a chance to prove once and for all that _he_ was just as great, just as smart, just as _strong_ as any and _every_ Rocket in the Team.

            And those _bastards_ had _stolen_ it from him!

            His fists trembled as he tried to calm his temper back under control. Silver exhaled deeply through his clenched jaw. His head throbbed in pain.

            _The cowards didn’t even have the decency to fight you face to face,_ the velvet voice reminded him. _Not until you and your men were worn down to your last push, and_ then _that utter_ bastard _Lance sends out one of his Dragon Pokémon, fresh and ready to go._

 _And they call_ us _the dishonorable ones…._

            _Just how many Dragonites does that guy have, anyway?_ Silver scoffed to himself. _And, why use it against a_ Scyther?

 _One day,_ he decided with a scowl, _one day, Red and I will strike_ Lance _when and where_ he’s _weakest, and prove to him that we’re_ just _as strong as he is._

 _That we’re_ stronger.

            Silver turned to the door to the security room for the base. His father and that _useless_ Sebastian were in there, reviewing the camera footage of the infiltration in the lab.

            _If nothing else, at least I can rest knowing that the_ bitch _got her ass handed to her as well._

 _Literally, too,_ Silver smirked. _Even_ Lance _wouldn’t have been able to_ twirl _me into submission, not with my sword. But she_ was, _and by some punk no older than me._

He stared at the door for a moment.

            _If nothing else, I should at least get a look at this_ wondrous _individual who literally knocked her on her ass._

Silver opened the door, and entered the dark room. The walls were covered in multiple television screens of varying sizes. Most were either dark or displaying only the black and white static of snow. One large screen in the middle of the main wall, however, was displaying the image of a Dragonite blasting a group of Grunts with a Hyper Beam. The Dragon-Type Pokémon flew off-frame, revealing the two teenage boys behind him.

            Silver barely registered the trainer on the left: the boy on the right was instantly recognizable from all the times Silver had hacked into his dossier on the Rocket Database, from the boy’s League battles he’d seen on television.

            The boy who had stolen Project Megavolt from him, had taken Silver’s promised Starter and used it as his _own_.

            The _son_ of that blasted _Gyles Ketchum_.

            Ashura.

            A blaze erupted in Silver’s chest, and he stormed straight back out of the room again.

            _How… how_ dare _he?_ Silver’s fists tightened. _Isn’t it enough that he stole my Pikachu from me, that he took away that chance for me to escape? Isn’t it enough that he_ took my life _from me? Now he’s taken what little victory I_ have _, he’s taken_ this _from me, too._

 _Thief,_ Silver snarled to himself.

            _Bastard should have_ never _been_ born _. I’d have gotten that Pikachu, become a Trainer when I was_ ten _like a_ normal _child. I’d have been able to escape that night, instead of being almost killed. I would still have…_

A sharp pain shot through his chest.

            _I’d still have_ her.

            _That bastard’s father couldn’t finish his mission to put the Team down once and for all,_ the velvet voice reminded him, _and_ you’re _the one paying for it._

 _Not anymore,_ Silver shook his head, _not_ anymore _. The son of Gyles will_ pay _for that, and for taking my life away from me._

_The son of Gyles Ketchum will pay._

“You know, for someone who calls their underlings cowards,” a voice cut through his thoughts, “you’re _just_ as pathetic.” The other boy from the attack, Silver realized, from the security footage. Silver could still hear it; he hadn’t closed the door behind him. “All of you Rockets are. You tear apart families, you poach Pokémon even from the nest,” the words made Silver stop and stare at his open palms, “and worst of all, you _torture_ Pokémon and people alike, forcing them to fight _your_ battles, and for _what_? Power? Money?” Silver’s hands began to tremble at the words, his legs softened at their joints. “You’re nothing more than criminal scum. You soulless, heartless, inhuman, _unfeeling monsters!_ ”

            Silver’s knees gave way and he slid to the floor.

            _Silver!_ The memory of the soft voice whispered in his ear. _Run!_

            _That… the… that Spiritomb… what… what did I subject it to, what… horrors? What hells?_ His throat threatened to swell shut.

            _Silver,_ the soft voice said again. _Please._

_What… what do I…?_

_The son of Gyles Ketchum will pay,_ the velvet voice reminded him.

            _You soulless, heartless, inhuman,_ _unfeeling monsters!_ The new voice echoed in his mind.

            Silver clenched his throbbing forehead.

            _You’re better than they are, Silver,_ the soft voice told him once more. _You have a different kind of strength than they can ever understand. You’re not a monster. Not like them._

_There’s more to you than anger, violence and hate._

            The voices were whispering continuously, drowning each other out and resulting in a sound not wholly unlike ocean waves upon a sandy beach.

            _What… what have I done?_

 _What am I_ doing _with my life?_

Silver slammed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the sensation that everything in his world was turning and spinning around.

            _What do I do_ now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Lance actually DOES have an Electabuzz with Psychic. In the original Stadium, in the second fight with him. 
> 
> Also, like Silver, Brendan and Wally are generally based off of their game/manga counterparts, but since they had little/no anime time, I admit I've taken some artistic liberties. I think Wally’s the only one of the two with any real major deviation from form, however.


	25. Stone

Aura rubbed her shoulder gingerly.   

            “I hate caves,” she grumbled. “Why are we in a cave?”

            “If you didn’t over-strain yourself, you’d know,” Ash muttered back over his can of soup.

            “You never complained about caves in particular before,” Misty said in a louder voice to stop any in-fighting before it could begin. “What’s so bad about them?”

            “They’re confining,” Aura said. “They’re dark, and you can get turned around rather easily, even with sharp senses of sight and smell like mine. Then, you’re lost and you can’t find your way out and _you’re trapped forever._ ”

            Ash paused, his spoon hovering above the can with his dinner in it. He looked at Misty.

            “Oh…kay….”

            They were all gathered around a small fire, deep in the Union Cave. Misty had, fortunately, possessed the common sense to realize that they were going to be spending the night in a dark cave and—when Ash’s insistence at being the one to carry the unconscious Aura finally won—she gathered a small amount of firewood to get them through it.

            Aura had woken up to the smells of burning wood and hot food. She had been placed across the fire from the others, leaning against a tall, solid stalagmite. Nyx was curled up and asleep nearby Ash, the Shiny Umbreon’s ears twitching every so often. Pikachu was seated, as usual, upon his trainer’s shoulder, and Arceus only knew where Jerzy had run off to….

            Ash and Misty were still eating their dinner—quite slowly, as well—from out of tin cans. Two, open, still-full cans were placed in front of Aura, a spoon stuck into one. Slight heat radiated from them, and their scents—while most certainly _not_ gourmet in any way—were admittedly quite appetizing.

            Aura picked up the can with the spoon and began eating without another word.

            _Yep_ , she thought to herself. _A few years ago, I was eating high-class, gourmet meals on a consistent, if not quite regular, basis. Now, I’m eating chopped-Vienna-sausage stew from a tin can._

_We are certainly a_ classy _bunch…_

A small twinge of guilt prickled the back of her mind.

            _Ah,_ the small voice whispered. _But, recall, a few months ago, you were devouring every edible piece of a Magikarp just to keep from starving to death._

            Aura scowled, hiding her thoughts by finishing off the first can and starting on the second.

            A distant sound—like a rock falling to the cave floor—made Aura look up from her meal.

            “You hear that?” The Lucario muttered.

            “Hear what?” Misty asked.

            “I didn’t hear anything,” Ash said. “Pikachu?”

            “ _Me neither,_ ” the Electric Pokémon shook his head.

            “You’re probably hearing things, Aura,” Misty assured her. “You had a rough day today.”

            “I… suppose,” she mumbled. “What happened, by the way?”

            “You passed out,” Ash mumbled.

            “I figured that one out on my own, thanks,” Aura said in a slight growl. “The black _gap_ in my memory told me _that_ much. I meant, what happened _after_ that. Did we succeed in rescuing the Spiritomb?”

            “Hmm?” Ash hummed. “Oh, yeah. Lance took it with him. He said he knew someone trustworthy who could take care of it while it recovered.”

            _I didn’t get to warn Lance about…_ Aura realized with a start. _Damn it! I hope he’s as bright as they say he is; he may be the best weapon we’ll have against the Rockets. We’ll have to take them out, too, before we can hope to defeat Moonsbane. Or, make it impossible for him to gain control of them. If he were ever to add their power to the force of his Returned…._

            Aura shook the thought.

            _One thing at a time. Let’s get through this cave, through this Temple and get Ash through his Test. We can worry about the rest later._

She rubbed her chest softly.

            _I have enough things to worry about at the moment._

“What about those other two?” Aura asked.

            “Brendan and Wally?” Misty clarified. “They said that they were headed just across the gulf, that they were going to keep an eye on Team Rocket for Lance for a bit.”

            “ _Make sure they don’t hunt us down and murder us in our sleep_ ,” Pikachu added softly.

            “Do you really think they’d _kill_ us?” Ash looked at his companion. “I mean, this is the group who hired Jessie, James, and Meowth, after all.”

            “Absolutely,” Aura muttered. “Those three are _not_ indicative of the Team’s true nature, at all.”

            “Indicative?” Ash repeated.

            “They’re not like the majority of the other Rockets,” Aura sighed. “An average Rocket _will_ kill anyone upon order. Though, I admit, the rumors and whispers of their murders _did_ dwindle quite a bit during my youth, up until….” Her voice trailed off. She suddenly stood and turned, and shot a Dragon Pulse into the dark caves behind her.

            “What’s—?”

            “Come out here and fight me, cowards!” Aura snarled, ignoring Misty. “Pathetic, cowardly, sneaking—!” She shot another Dragon Pulse, the burst of purple fire illuminating the empty cavern behind her for a brief moment. “No one sneaks up on me, do you hear me?”

            Aura yelped in surprise as a column of rock shot up just in front of her, stumbling backwards slightly.

            “The Lucario barks so loudly,” a new voice spoke behind her, “she could wake a hibernating Ursaring in the darkest winter.”

            Aura turned sharply to face the new speaker.

            “Who the hell are you?” she snarled.

            Ash and Misty turned slightly to see the figure standing directly behind them. A Rhydon looked down at them, his eyes narrowed.

            “Mmm?” Nyx blinked awake.

            “You are trespassing on sacred and dangerous territory,” the Rhydon calmly spoke in his dark timbre. “I highly suggest you return to the surface, where you came from; I do not wish for you or your companions to be harmed.”

            “ _At least he’s friendly_ ,” Pikachu muttered.

            “We’re not going anywhere,” Aura growled.

            “We’re supposed to be here,” Misty added quickly.

            “Whatever expedition you’re on is over,” the Rhydon spoke softly. “You _will_ leave, in any case. Best do it of your own choosing, while you can choose to maintain your health.”

            “Who talks like that?” Ash muttered.

            “Wha…whoo…whhaaauuunn,” Nyx attempted to speak with a yawn, still drowzy. He mumbled incoherently for a few moments, before the word “Chosen” was finally identifiable.

            “Uh, yeah!” Ash realized. “I’m _supposed_ to be here! I’m the Chosen One!”

            “Arceus has a sick, twisted sense of humor,” Aura grumbled just loud enough to earn a short glare from the teenager.

            “And, why should I _believe_ you, human?” The Rhydon asked.

            “Uh…” Ash hesitated. He grabbed Nyx, offering the Shiny Umbreon to the Rhydon. “Would anyone else have the Dark Temple’s Head Aide with them?”

            “I wouldn’t know if that’s even a member of _any_ Elemental Order,” the Rhydon shook his head. “I’ve never left the caves; our Sage leaves his best behind for the highest possible security.”

            “Oh, you must be Haldor,” Nyx chuckled lightly. “Suk mentioned you the last time I saw him at Hikari’s Keep.”

            “You could be an intruder, a spy, for all I know,” Haldor ignored the Umbreon. “Give me just one good reason to believe you could _possibly_ be the Chosen One, human.”

            “Ash,” Aura snarled in a low tone at him. “Use an Attack.”

            “Which one?”

            “ _Any_  Attack…”She added through her clenched jaw.

            Ash swung his hand, the small, bright bursts of light of a Swift Attack extending from it and gently hitting the Rhydon in the face.

            “Cute,” Haldor muttered flatly. “A Normal-Type Attack? That’s nothing special. You could even be faking it. You are certainly not the first person to try to convince another that you can use _Swift_.”

            “Mach Punch him,” Aura gave Ash a light punch on the shoulder. “Hit him right between the eyes. That should serve quite nicely as evidence.”

            “Puh,” the Rhydon scoffed. “This _kid_ doesn’t have enough backbone to even _try_.”

            “I’m not afraid of anything.” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “Prove it.”

            Ash clenched his left hand, the gauntlet reappearing in a brief shimmer of steel before glowing a burnt-orange color. In a sudden blur, he threw his fist, slamming a sharp punch right on the Rhydon’s horn. Haldor bellowed in pain, stumbling backwards and shaking his head back and forth.

            “That… wasn’t a Mach Punch,” Nyx said.

            Ash stared at his fist.

            “Focus Punch,” Aura sounded almost impressed.

            “Oops,” Ash said nervously.

            “Master of the Elements, huh?” Aura sighed, shaking her head.

            “Shut up,” Ash grumbled.

            “Brilliant comeback, _Chosen One_.”

            “Shut—!”

            His retort was cut off by the Rhydon roaring in anger, the yellow glow of a Hyper Beam building in his mouth.

            Before the Attack could be unleashed, a large, dark blur slammed straight into the Rhydon, knocking him into a nearby stalagmite.

            “You need to learn what the words ‘do not approach humans’ mean,” the large shadow spoke in a dark timbre. It walked out of the darkness and into the light shown by the campfire, revealing itself to be an unusually large Rampardos. “Forgive my Head Aide, Chosen One. He’s still got a lot to learn.”

            “Hello, Suk,” Nyx said brightly.

            “Ah, the young son of Zyne.” The Rampardos gave the Shiny Umbreon a polite nod. “I suspected that one of the Sages near the Chosen’s birthplace would send one of their Aides to guide and protect him. Best to keep him—and the Elements—safe.”

            “Wait.” Aura shook her head. “Who the hell are you?”

            “Ah, Hikari’s young charge.” Suk turned to the Lucario. “I have heard of you from my predecessor; you wouldn’t remember me from when _you_ were at Hikari’s Keep. I met Nyx when the Sages and some of their Aides met at the Keep two years ago, when I was announced as my predecessor’s successor.” He turned towards Ash. “I am Suk, Sage of the Rock Temple, and I am _honored_ to greet you at last, Chosen One.”

            “Uh…” Ash stammered.

            “I’m afraid we do not have time for pleasantries,” Suk continued before Ash could find his voice. “There have been humans nearby. Evil humans. I’m not entirely sure what horrors they have carried out since arriving, but they have been chipping away at the earth and stone of the mountains.”

            “Team Rocket,” Misty nodded, “we had a… bit of a run-in with them earlier.”

            “To protect my Order and the Elemental Orb we guard,” Suk continued, “I have placed our Temple under the strictest lockdown I can manage. For all but myself and my Head Aide, the Temple is completely sealed off and hidden. We cannot risk this… Team Rocket finding us. Especially if the rumors from Hikari’s Keep are true.”

            “What rumors?” Ash asked.

            Suk looked at Ash, then Nyx, before glancing at Aura. The Lucario flattened her ears against the back of her head.

            “They are,” she said in little more than a whisper.

            “That greater evils than unethical experimentations and manipulation of law for power occur within the Team,” Suk said simply. “But, we don’t have time to discuss them now. We must get you on the path to the Shrine, allow you to take your Test and claim the Orb of Stone and take it far from here. As soon as possible.”

            “Why?” Ash asked. “Hasn’t the Shrine been hidden for… countless years?”

            “True,” Suk nodded, “but all things change eventually. It has always been prophesized that a human would discover the Temple one day. I’d rather make sure that human is _you_ , Chosen One. You will be able to handle the Orb without its power destroying you. You, we know will be able to claim it. _You_ , we can _trust_ to not be corrupted by the sheer power of the Elements, to not turn them against friend and kin, against us.”

            “ _So, you know_ ,” Pikachu said dryly, “ _no pressure_.”

            “Oh, there is pressure on you, Chosen One, I don’t deny it,” Suk admitted. “Before this is over, you will likely feel the weight of the mountains upon your shoulders. But, as the Chosen One, you also have the resolve to stand strong and firm under it. You must, or….” He shook his head.

            “Or what?” Ash asked. “What aren’t you people telling me?”

            “I’m not entirely sure,” Suk said. “In any case, it hardly matters at the moment. Pack your camp. When you are ready, I shall lead you to the passageway towards the Shrine, where you can make the rest of the journey to your Test.”

            “What about Haldor?” Aura glanced over at the dazed Rhydon in the shadows.

            “He disobeyed a direct order,” Suk said simply, “and in doing so, he could have put the entire Temple we are sworn to protect in grave danger. Being left to deal with his headache on his own is an extremely light punishment, I’d say.”

            Ash and Aura exchanged a glance.

            _The last time I disobeyed a direct order,_ Aura mused, _I almost_ died. _I’d say that he’s getting off_ criminally _light._  

            _I just hope that it doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass._

 

…

 

“So, let me get this straight,” Aura growled. “You expect a _human_ with barely any Elemental power, or any real mastery over what power he _does_ have, to wander through a maze of twisting caverns and natural passageways to a Shrine that possibly contains some ancient horror waiting to possibly kill him. By himself. In the dark.”

            “Of course not,” Suk said flatly. “He’ll have a torch.”

            “That’s comforting,” Ash grumbled as he took the Pokéballs off of his belt, handing them to Misty. “Glad to know I won’t be blind when I stumble into a chasm to my death.”

            “With all the holes and traps we’ve fallen into Ash,” Misty reminded him, “I highly doubt something as simple as a fall would be what ends up killing you.”

            “Yeah,” Aura nodded. “I’m banking on an eldritch abomination slaughtering all of us. In our sleep.”

            “Glad to know you’re optimistic about it,” Ash gave a dry chuckle.

            “You also won’t be going alone,” Suk continued.

            “I can pick a Pokémon to go with me?” Ash asked, glancing at Pikachu.

            “No.” Suk shook his head. “But I will.”

            “Who?”

            “One who, from what I’ve heard, has stood firm against the force of death itself, and persevered.”

            _Please, tell me you’re joking_ , Ash groaned inwardly.

            Suk turned towards Aura.

            The Lucario swore bitterly.

            “What if I refuse?” She asked. “What if I _won’t_ go with the precious _Chosen One_?”

            “If you are willing to risk his death on your watch,” Suk said, “then that is your choice. Only you would be able to truly give him the aid he will likely need on this leg of his journey. The Chosen One may be the only person capable of fulfilling this prophecy, this destiny, but it has never been said that he would achieve it on his own.”

            “Didn’t you promise Hikari you’d help him?” Nyx asked her.

            Aura glanced at him, though instead of seeing the Shiny Umbreon’s yellow eyes, she saw a pair of warm brown ones. Desperate eyes, pleading eyes.

            _Promise me._

            _Seems like every vow I’ve ever made is going to either haunt me or force me to my death_. Aura shook her head.

            “Fine,” she sighed. She took the torch from Suk. “But, _I’m_ in charge of this. The last thing we need is for you to stop paying attention for a moment, and drop it down a hole or into one of those underground streams, or Arceus only knows what.”

            “Are you calling me a klutz?”

            “Your powers of deduction are electrifying,” Aura said in a flat tone. “I seem to recall that you cut yourself shaving the other day.”

            “So?” Ash scoffed. “ _Every_ guy does that once in a while.”

            “I’ll rephrase: you cut _your arm_.”

            Misty made a strange, muffled sound as she tried to hold back a burst of laughter.

            “You did _what_?”

            “Oh, shut up,” Ash grumbled. “It was _her_ fault,” he added, jabbing a thumb in Aura’s direction.

            “Sure, blame me,” Aura grumbled. “I’m still the one in charge of the torch.” She spat a burst of a Dragon Pulse at the torch, the purple fire igniting it. “Now, can we get this over with? _Before_ old age blinds me?”

            Before he could protest, Aura grabbed Ash by the wrist with her free hand and dragged him along down into the twisting caverns.

            “Arceus go with you, Chosen One!” Suk’s voice bellowed through the passageways as they turned down and out of their sight.

            “Can I have my arm back?” Ash asked after the Lucario nearly pulled it out of the socket to bring him down a series of what appeared to be jagged steps.

            “Whatever,” she grumbled as she let go suddenly, the rapid movement causing him to lose his balance for a moment.

            “What is your _problem_?” he asked loudly as he followed her under a low overhang into a new series of caverns.

            “I don’t have a problem,” Aura grumbled, the soft light illuminating her eyes to suggest otherwise.

            Ash staggered around in the otherwise utter darkness, eventually settling for grabbing onto the Lucario’s shoulder for support as they continued around the nearly-impossible maze of irregular stones, stalagmites, and stalactites.

            “Then why do you have to act like you’re being forced to…to…” he stammered. “I dunno. Drink poison or something.”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aura snarled. “I’m the utter freaking—gahk!” She yelped as she tripped suddenly over the uneven cave floor, dragging Ash with her as she struggled to stay upright.

            “No!” Ash yelled, grabbing the torch and forcing Aura to face him. The orange glow of its flame flickered in his frustrated expression. “ _Every_ time I think you’re finally starting to not be such a _grouch_ , you do a complete one-eighty. And now? Now you tell us that you know about Team Rocket? That you know about their leader? And you suddenly pass out during your part in our assault against them earlier today? When you were apparently capable of massive Psychic ability before? And you won’t tell us _why_ this is all happening? You won’t tell us _anything?_ ”

            “The hell is _your_ problem, Ketchum?” Aura snarled.

            “You won’t even call me by my first name,” Ash pointed out. “I’m supposed to rely on you, or whatever, but you constantly remind me how much you hate me and that you ‘have dibs’ on killing me. You expect me to just trust you with whatever you want, but you don’t give me a single reason _why_ I should trust you.”

            “I gave Hikari my word that I—!”

            “If there is _one_ thing you’ve taught me since we’ve met,” Ash interrupted, “it’s that I really _can’t_ trust what anyone _says_ anymore. And God knows you _refuse_ to trust _me_.”

            “What about—?”

            “No.” Ash’s voice was low, but still managed to make her stop immediately. “Give me the torch.”

            “What.”

            “I’m the Chosen One. If you don’t want to help me because _you_ want to help _me_ , then I’ll just go alone.”

            “No.”

            “Give. Me. The. Torch.”

            “ _No._ ” Aura kept her voice down.

            Their eyes locked in a fierce glaze for a few moments. Ash eventually relented with an aggravated scoff.

            “ _Fine_.” He let go of the torch.

            Aura closed her eyes, shaking her head.

            “Some Chosen One,” she sighed. She turned and continued jumping the short distances down the rocky ledges into the lower area of the cavern. “You can’t even stick to your convictions against me. _Me,_ a _single_ Lucario. Whatever force chose _you_ to be the world’s hero has condemned us all to hell.” She leapt to the apparently solid ground at the bottom of the final ledge. She turned back, looking up at Ash, her disappointment the only thing visible in the utter darkness. “ _Pathetic coward_.”

            Whether it was the final insult simply pushing him past his limit, the exhaustion from the day’s events finally being too much for him to bear, or that the Lucario had finally hit a nerve raw enough, _something_ had finally broken through Ash’s frustrations, sparking an anger in him he’d never experienced before.

            “Rrrrrrgh!” He threw himself off of the ledge he had been tentatively balanced on, straight at her, slamming a perfect Brick Break into her cheek. The force knocked her aside several feet, the Lucario collapsing to the ground, with the torch rolling away from her, as Ash regained his balance with little effort. He swore bitterly at her.

            Aura shook her head, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Had he _really_ …?

            _Ash?_

            She gaped at him for a moment, little more than his silhouette visible in the fading torchlight. She narrowed her eyes with a dark, animalistic snarl.

            _Oh,_ hell _no._

            “That does it,” she spat. “I don’t care _who_ I promised _what._ You’re _dead_. Now.”

            “Try it!”

            Aura flung herself at the teenage boy, striking him across the face with a crude punch. He retaliated with a Mega Punch in her stomach.

            Aura stumbled backwards a bit, before opening her mouth to charge energy within it. Even in his haze of fury, Ash recognized the yellow light as a building Hyper Beam.

            Aimed right at his face.

            Desperate, Ash swung up with a Sky Uppercut, striking Aura on the underside of her chest spike.

            Pain erupted through her body from the spot the attack had hit, and Aura stumbled back further, unleashing the Hyper Beam up towards the ceiling. The attack hit with a loud crash, followed by a rumble that seemed to shake the whole cavern.

            That _did_ shake the whole cavern.

            Aura hardly noticed, as her vision returned, grabbing Ash by the front of his shirt. It wasn’t until the stone beneath her paws shifted and split that she realized that they were _both_ in danger. The Lucario looked down to see the large crack right beneath her widen.

            “ _Shit!_ ”

            The floor completely gave way, and they fell down into the dark chasm that had opened its maw under them.

            _The expedition into Union Cave has been prematurely cancelled,_ the memory of a voice echoed in Aura’s mind, _after yet another team sent into its unexplored caverns suddenly turned on and nearly killed each other._

            The force of a new stone floor suddenly stopped her decent, and Aura heard the loud cascade of a rock fall surround her as the darkness that claimed her vision enveloped her mind.

            The darkness didn’t last long, as Aura was almost immediately dragged back into reality by the throbbing pain in her head, chest, and back. She raised one hand cautiously, finding the flat rock that had been stopped by _something_ , landing just a few inches away from the tip of her muzzle.

            That _would have been a terrible way for this to all end_ , she decided groggily. _Crushed to death in a rockslide because I couldn’t contain my anger for_ two minutes _. I’m better than this. Better get the Chosen Idiot and…_

_Ash._ The realization shot through her. _No._

            Aura focused a Psychic blast on the boulder on top of her, knocking it away from her with another loud crash. She pulled herself to her feet, stumbling around the remains of the rock slide.

            “Ash?” She asked timidly.

            Could he have been…?

            “Ash!” She shouted into the darkness. She let out a short burst of a Dragon Pulse, the purple fire illuminating the cavern for a brief moment, allowing her to identify a pile of stone debris nearby that looked like...

            _Don’t let anything happen to him_ , a soft, distant memory echoed. _Promise me._

“ _Ash!_ ” Aura cried out, reaching towards where the pile was, grabbing every stone, rock, and boulder she could lift and flinging it away.

            _If there is_ one _thing you’ve taught me since we’ve met, it’s that I really_ can’t _trust what anyone_ says _anymore._

“Please,” Aura choked. “Come on, Chosen One.”

            Suddenly, she grabbed something soft, something warm. Cloth. His jacket.

            His arm.

            Feeling for his head, Aura pulled her hand back almost immediately.

            Blood.

            _No._

            “Ash, please, wake up.”

            _I’m… I’m alone in the dark._

_Again._

_It’s my fault._

_I’ve… I’ve…_

Aura slammed her eyes shut, despite the darkness leaving nothing to see in the first place.

            The sharp sound of an inhale, and the sudden grip of a hand on her wrist nearly caused Aura to leap straight out of her pelt.

            “Did you get the number of the truck? I think it hit me.”

            _Oh, thank God,_ Aura allowed herself to sigh in relief. _He really_ can’t _die._

            “What happened?” His voice cut through the utter darkness. “Last thing I remember is… going off towards another Element… and then I remember being really mad. What…?”

            “It’s likely a defense mechanism of the Orb here,” Aura mused aloud. “It probably causes anyone that gets too close to suddenly become violent and angry at any companions. After all, if any potential intruders kill each other, then they won’t be a threat to its safety anymore.”

            “Where’s the torch?”

            “Hell if I know.”

            “What now?”

            “We keep going.”

            “That’s it?” Ash asked, as she helped him back on his feet.

            “Well, no.” Aura admitted. “First, you use Recover to heal the nasty gash on your head. _Then_ we keep on going.”

            “Hmm?” Ash hummed in confusion, reaching up to the top of his head. “Oh, hey. Good point.”

            A soft glow emanated from the gauntlet as Ash effortlessly accessed the Normal Orb to use the suggested power.

            There was nearly an audible _click_ from Aura’s mind as she suddenly got it.

            “Better?” Ash asked as they found themselves in utter darkness again.

            “I guess,” Aura said dryly. She stumbled over towards a wall in the general direction she believed they had been headed in before the rockslide. Forcing herself to ignore the aching pains that seared through most of her body, Aura started to strike the wall with the full force of several different Fighting Attacks.

            “What are you doing?”

            “We have to keep going, don’t you get it?” Aura asked. “No matter what else we do, we _have_ to keep on headed towards the Orb, no matter how strong its defenses fight against us.”

            “Maybe we’re trying too hard,” Ash suggested, his voice suggesting that he had stumbled over next to her. “Maybe we need to step back and…”

            “No, Ash!” Aura snapped.

            “What did you—?”

            “Think!” She cut him off. “Don’t you get it, yet? Some Tests will force you to prove your courage, or the purity of your heart, or the loyalty of those who follow you. Some will force you to put your ability to think to its limit. Others… will test your _resolve_.”

            “I don’t understand.”

            “What Element is this?” Aura sighed.

            “Stone?”

            “Will a boulder just move aside because you _ask_ it to?”

            “I don’t…”

            “How do you bring down something too stubborn to relent by choice?”

            “Uh…”

            Aura slapped the backside of Ash’s head.

            “Ow! Hey! I could have a concussion, and you’re hitting my _head_?”

            _He knows the word concussion, now. Cute._

“ _THINK!_ ” Aura insisted. “What is the _first step_ to bringing down an opponent _stronger_ than yourself?”

            “Find their weaknesses?”

            “Before that.”

            “Step back and think?”

            “Before that!” Aura barked. “What is the _first step_? How do you do the _impossible_?”

            “You… you don’t give up?”

            Aura smiled without realizing it.

            “Exactly.”

            “Don’t give up.” Ash got it.

            “That’s how you master the Rock Element. You have to be as unyielding and unrelenting as a boulder.”

            “How do you know this?” Ash asked.

            _You won’t tell us_ anything… _you_ refuse _to trust_ me.

            _Promise me_.

            Aura shook her head.

            “My father had… was _forced_ to have unusual and highly powerful abilities. He was a lab rat, and I inherited some of his… curse. Between him and my mother, I was taught how to control my power…by understanding it from the most basic levels.”

            “Your father?” Ash asked softly. “A lab rat?”

            “Yes.”

            “How?”

            Aura didn’t speak.

            “Aura?”

            “Think, Chosen One,” Aura said. “It’s not too hard to figure _that_ one out by yourself.” She continued her barrage on the wall. “You gonna help me, or not?”

            Ash sighed.

            _One step at a time, I guess._

            “All right, then,” Ash chuckled. “What do you need me to do?”

            “Light would be _glorious._ ”

            “How? I don’t have the Fire Element, yet.”

            _Smack!_

            “Hey!”

            “You have the _Normal_ Element, you _dolt_!” Aura barked. “What Attack _is_ light?”

            Ash closed his eyes, trying to think.

            _What Attack gives off a burst of light?_ He opened his eyes. _That’s it!_

            Aura yelped in surprise at the sudden burst of light from her left.

            “Too bright! Too bright!” She shielded her face with one arm.

            “Nothing’s ever good enough for you, is it?”

            “Strike here,” Aura used Metal Claw to scratch an X on the cave wall, “with a strong Fighting Attack. Hopefully, that will be enough.”

            “Which one?”

            “I dunno. Brick Break, I guess. I don’t care.”

            Ash shrugged, before slamming the side of his open hand perfectly on the center of the X-mark. Light shone from the cracks the emanated from where his Attack hit, running up and down the wall in jagged patterns.

            Aura took a step back in mild concern, before the stone wall suddenly crumbled, revealing a room filled with warm, yellow light. Briefly blinded, Ash and Aura turned sharply from it, blinking and raising their arms as shields until their eyes adjusted.

            “Huh,” Ash muttered when his finally had. “The Shrine was right here… all along.”

            “No wonder I wanted to rip your throat open,” Aura added. “Suk was right. He wasn’t wasting any time, ours _or_ his.”

            “Who knows?” Ash chuckled. “Maybe this means I’ll get some sleep tonight.”

            Aura looked at him. “Oh just go in already,” she scoffed, giving him a sharp shove on the back.

            Unlike the other Shrines, this one didn’t seem to have an entrance beyond the one they had forcibly made. Instead, all four walls were covered in the same archaic carvings as the other Shrines, suggesting that Suk and the Sages before him had found some other way in and out. The warm lighting came, not from torches, but from strange, glowing, yellow crystals on the walls, forming tall, irregular-shaped columns. In the exact center of the intricately detailed carvings on the floor sat the Shrine’s main statue, this one’s cross-legged Riolu made of silver and holding up the Rock Orb. The Orb’s rich, brown coloring stood out against the cool greys of the stone floors and walls, even in the yellow light.

            Surrounding the Riolu statue, like in the other Shrines, were various types of metal statues depicting Pokémon of the Shrine’s Element: a Rhyhorn, Kabutops, Sudowoodo, Nosepass, Cranidos, Shieldon, Lunatone, Solrock, Shuckle, and Armaldo, all dwarfed by the overlooking Aerodactyl that seemed to glare right through Ash. Unnerved, Ash turned to the corner where he expected to see another statue of a young Hikaru and the Traitor.

            Much like the Orb’s Statue, this one was made of silver, and depicted Hikaru as a Riolu, sitting cross-legged on the floor. However, this statue appeared to be holding some sort of book, metallic leaves of scrolls lying around him. The young human that Ash now knew to be the child that became the Traitor was sitting next to the Riolu, leaning gently against Hikaru in slumber. The Dratini was loosely draped around the Riolu’s neck. Hikaru’s young face was gently illuminated by the crystals’ glow, making his soft smile seem all the warmer.

            _What’s with the Dratini?_

            Ash turned towards Aura, opening his mouth to ask her opinion, when he stopped, startled. Aura was ignoring him, instead staring straight at the statue.

            She was _crying_.

            Ash took a few steps back, almost stumbling backwards over the Shuckle statue. He tried to say something, but he couldn’t even string a thought together in his head.

            She wasn’t _sobbing_ , or anything. There was just a small, though noticeable flow of tears streaming from each eye. Her ears were pressed back against her head, but other than those two traits, her expression and body language were rather stoic.

            _Still_ …

            _Why_ was she crying? _Aura_?

She had always seemed to treat the story of the Traitor and Hikaru with scorn before. What was it about this statue that made it so….?

            _Is it because they’re depicted as_ children?

            Ash shook his head. For once, he decided to not press the question. Not yet. One day, he would. When she proved that she finally trusted him.

            But not today.

            Today, he had a whole different ordeal to go through.

            Ash turned back to the Orb’s Statue. Vaulting over the Shuckle statue, he approached the Orb. Ash sighed, before reaching out and grabbing the Orb with both hands.

            As expected, a surge of pain erupted through his body from the point of contact. However, this time, it seemed to echo and multiply within his skull, making his head feel heavy and like a water balloon stretched to bursting. Ash cried out in his agony.

            Then, suddenly as it had erupted through him, the pain stopped.

            _What?_ Ash blinked. He tried to open his eyes, finding himself in a very different place than he had been a few moments prior.

            _Is this another vision_? He wondered, as he looked around. Wherever this was supposed to be, it was extremely foggy; the sky and the featureless ground both seemed to be _made_ of soft fog.

            “Where am I?” He asked aloud, not sure if he was really speaking or if the words were merely echoing inside his own head.

            “Exactly where you stood a minute ago,” a deep, familiar voice answered.

            “Hikaru?” Ash asked.

            As if in response to the recognition, a tall Lucario materialized out of the swirling fog in front of him. Like before, he was clad in a golden collar and bracers, studded with various, gleaming gems. Unlike before, however, from the back of the collar hung what remained of a tattered, black cloak, its frayed remnants draped over the Lucario’s shoulders and arms.

            “Hikaru?” Ash repeated.

            “I must apologize, young Ashura,” the ancient Sage spoke. “I gave the Orbs the ability to protect themselves in this manner, but they have… _evolved._ The two of you _should_ have been able to traverse much further down the caverns before even a spark of anger would’ve ignited, in _your_ heart, at least. It was _my_ lack of foresight that almost got you both killed. I am sorry.”

            “Um,” Ash stammered briefly. “D-don’t… don’t worry about it. I’ve been through worse, I guess.”

            “It seems there is a rather _lot_ I did not foresee or expect,” Hikaru admitted. “Particularly where you and your companion are concerned.”

            “You…you mean Aura?”

            Hikaru simply looked at him.

            “What is wrong with her?” Ash eventually asked.

            “Pain,” Hikaru said simply. “Heartbreak. Betrayal. Anger. And many, many failures. All of them, distilled down to one swirling, never-ending sea of Pain. She simply can’t let go.”

            “Why?”

            “I do not know. I cannot see her heart, Ashura. That is for her to reveal on her own.”

            “Should have known it wouldn’t have been that easy,” Ash grumbled. “Then… how do I get her to…?”

            “You must be as the Rock.”

            “In English?”

            “Overcome impossible odds.”

            “How…I—?” Ash stopped.

            _How do you do the_ impossible?

            “Don’t give up.” Ash nodded. “Got it.”

            Hikaru nodded.

            “I’m afraid,” the Lucario said softly, “that I cannot maintain contact for much longer. You must now claim the Rock Element, before the Orb’s power rips through and destroys you.”

            “Wait!” Ash yelled. “What about the Test? What about the _Orb’s Test?_ ”

            “There won’t be one this time,” Hikaru chuckled. “I… surpassed it.”

            “ _How?_ ”

            “I… cheated. Even dead, being the most powerful Sage of the Elements in our history does grant me some… _useful_ abilities.”

            “Why?”

            “Sometimes, Ashura,” Hikaru said softly, as his form began to fade back into the fog, “it isn’t _you_ that needs to learn from the Tests.”

            “Wait!” Ash yelled after him. “What about the Dratini? What’s with the Dratini?”

            But Hikaru was already gone. Pain began to shoot through him again.

            _NO!_ Ash screamed through his own mind, forcefully pulling up on the Orb, jolting his conscious mind back into reality.

            There was the slight _pop_ of the Orb slipping out of the Shrine’s grip, and the pain stopped.

            “Oh, thank _God!_ ” Ash sighed, collapsing forward onto the Shrine.

            He hadn’t rested there for very long when he felt something lift his arm, draping it over itself. _Herself._

            “Aura?” Ash muttered. “What are you doing?”

            Aura lifted her other arm around his back and under his far arm, helping him to walk away from the Shrine and towards their crude entrance.

            “We don’t have time for you to pass out and recover,” Aura grumbled. “We need to get going, and this is the easiest way to get you back into the caverns towards the others again.”

            Ash smiled.

            “Sure, of course.”

            “And,” Aura added, “I’ve had more than enough of this cave.”      

            “Right. You’re gonna deny you ever did this, aren’t you?”

            “Deny what?” Aura asked in a flat tone.

            “Exactly,” Ash held back a chuckle.

            “You gonna light the way?” Aura asked as she half-carried him into the darkness.

            Ash lifted his left hand, the gauntlet materializing and emitting the bright, white light of a Flash.

            “So, I have a name now?”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aura grumbled.

            “So, I _didn’t_ hear you calling me—?”

            “If you’re hearing voices,” Aura cut him off, “you probably shouldn’t tell anyone. The idea of the Chosen One being completely delusional might make it harder for us to get help along the way.”

            “Right,” Ash chuckled softly. “You know, if we stopped fighting each other, we might actually make a good team.”

            “Don’t get any ideas, kid,” Aura said. “I just want to go home before this crazy adventure of yours kills me.”

            “C’mon, Aura,” Ash insisted. “Give it a shot. You could be that last team member we need to do the impossible.”

            _We need you,_ a warm voice echoed in her mind. _Between the three of us, we can do the impossible._

            “We’ll see, Chosen One,” Aura eventually whispered, lifting Ash with her up a half-collapsed stone ledge. “We’ll see.”


	26. Exodus

Silver stopped and turned slightly at the sound of thunder rumbling through the base. His grip on the backpack half-slung over his shoulders loosened slightly.

            _If they don’t get those giant holes the attack left in the base fixed, then we’re going to have a massive flooding problem._

            He dropped the backpack onto the bed in front of him.

            _Should I really do this?_

_Can I?_

Silver shook his head.

            _Imagine the power_ , the velvet voice whispered in his mind. _The strength you can achieve here. You can claim all of it on your own. One simple act._

Silver looked over to the desk, where his grandfather’s falchion rested, glistening in the lamp’s light.

            _One strike, and no one will ever question you again. No one will call you weak._

            Silver shook his head, trying to drown out the voice. He scratched his neck, stopping when his hand got caught on the small, aging, unique Pokéball that hung from the necklace he’d forgotten he’d been wearing.

            _Where are we going?_ The memory of his own voice echoed.

            Silver pulled the ’ball out from under his shirt to look at it.

            The memory of the response whispered in his mind.

            “Anywhere but here,” he repeated it aloud. “Anywhere… but here.”

            Silver closed his eyes, exhaling deeply through his nose.

            Opening his eyes, he opened the backpack and began to shove the few possessions he couldn’t part from and various essentials into it.

            _I can’t stay here._

            Silver tossed one of his Pokéballs up slightly, and a burst of red light issued from it, materializing into the shape of his Scyther.

            “Red,” Silver acknowledged his mute companion. Silver grabbed his sword’s scabbard, strapping it to his back and sheathing the blade in it, before throwing the backpack on over it. “We’re leaving.”

            The Scyther nodded once.

            They both jumped at the sound of the door opening. Silver groaned inwardly at the sight of the familiar silhouette in the doorframe.

            “What do _you_ want?” He snarled.

            “Giovanni mentioned that you stormed out of the security booth like a vicious murderer after a target,” she said in a low voice. “I decided to check that you weren’t killing half the Team.”

            “It’s after midnight,” Silver raised a brow. “You’re still awake.”

            “So are you.”

            _Wow. My comebacks are_ thrilling _tonight_.

            “What are you doing?” Domino walked around Silver in a circle. “Why do you have that… back… pack…?”

            _Because I’m technically committing treason_ , Silver scowled. _As much I’d_ love _to see your reaction to that, I also don’t enjoy the idea of you trying to carry out the punishment for such on the spot._

_I’m rather fond of being…_ not dead _._

            “I’ve been given a mission,” Silver thought up of a lie as fast as he could. “Giovanni seems to be of the mindset that keeping me around here isn’t a good idea and….” His mind raced and his hand twitched. “There’s a rather sensitive issue that came up that needs to be handled swiftly and delicately. He’s sending me alone, before anyone can even notice I’m gone.”

            _So get the hell out._

            It was Domino’s turn to raise a brow.

            “Really?” She scoffed. “That the best you can do? That was… pathetic.” She continued to circle Silver like a Murkrow, ignoring the apparently annoyed Red. “What are you _really_ up to? You look like some kid who’s ru—” Her voice cut off.

            _Shit._

            Why did she have to be so damn… calculating?

            “You’re running away!” She breathed. “After all of… after… you’re…!” Her voice got louder with each word.

            “Hush!” Silver raised his hands defensively. “You’ll wake the entire base.”

            _One strike,_ the velvet voice whispered, _and she’ll be silenced._

“You’re… Silver, this is _mutiny!_ ” Domino reached for her belt.

            _Her dagger._

            Silver reached for the handle of his falchion. For several tense moments, the two teenagers stared at each other, poised to act, to strike at each other. Red silently walked around behind Domino, every muscle in the Scyther’s body tensed and ready to act.

            _I would still be hurt_ , Silver knew. _She’s been trained since childhood to fight. To kill. I can’t count on getting out of here alive by my own strength alone, or even Red’s. I need something to break her concentration._

_But,_ what? _What would shock her so much that…._

_Oh, shit. No._

“Take me with you,” the words broke _Silver’s_ concentration.

            Had she _really_ …?

            “What.”

            “If we _both_ leave, there are… there are loopholes we can exploit,” she explained. “It can be reasoned as something other than mutiny. I wouldn’t have to kill you. Giovanni wouldn’t have to send Agents after you. You’d be free, then.”

            “No.” Silver shook his head. “You know that’s not true. I’d be your _prisoner_ , no matter what word you use to pretty it up.” _I have to think of some other way to make her unable to attack or follow me without killing her. Other than…._ “I’ll only be free if I make a clean, total break, and I _never look back_.”

            “Silver.”

            “One person already died for this. For three years, I let that sacrifice be in vain. Not. One. More. Day.” His hand tightened its grip on his sword’s handle behind his head. “I will do this, or I will die trying. And not without a fight.”

            _C’mon! Give me an idea. Any idea! Anything but—!_

            “Silver, I can’t just let you go. They’ll kill me, too, if I do.”

            _This is really my only option, isn’t it? God, I wish I could think of_ anything _else._

_There’s another way_ , the velvet voice reminded him.

            _No, I’m not a murderer. I just…._

_I hate myself for this already._

            “You know I can’t let you—!”

            _Forgive me,_ Silver sighed, before releasing his sword to grab Domino’s shoulder, cutting off her rant already. Taking a step to close the distance between them, Silver reluctantly leaned down slightly and pressed his lips against hers.

            He broke the contact almost immediately; fortunately the brief touch had been enough to break all semblance of though in Domino’s mind.

            Silver took a few tentative steps backwards. When she didn’t break her thousand-yard stare to return to reality, he gave Red a nod, and they both slipped out of the room and began running down the hall.

            Silver glanced over at Red for a brief second, noticing the odd glare the Scyther was giving him.

            “You don’t think I _enjoyed_ that, do you?” Silver scoffed. “Trust me, it was either that, or kill her. I figured murder is a slightly more heinous choice. I will certainly be rinsing my mouth out with an entire bottle of mouthwash the first chance I get. Even _mud_ would be preferable.”

            The Scyther exchanged a glance with him again as they dashed through several sharp turns.

            “Enough people are dead because of me,” Silver muttered. “I may feel dirty for… doing that, but… at least I’m not a murderer. Sometimes, you have to take the lesser evil.”

            They turned a corner, not realizing until too late that another small group was trying to occupy the same space in the hallway. They collided, knocking each other over, and Silver hit the ground face first with a solid _whock!_

            Silver shook his head, recovering quickly, and accepting Red’s help back onto his feet.

            _Who was…_? Silver half-turned to see who he’d run into.

            He sighed.

            _Those idiots_.

            “Hey!” Jessie yelled out, turned away and unable to see her apparent assailant. “What’s the big idea smacking into people like that!”

            “Uh, Jessie?” James said nervously, giving Silver an awkward, innocent smile. “I think you shouldn’t overreact.”

            “ _Overreact?_ ” Jessie turned to snap at her partner. “It’s called common decency to _watch where you’re going!_ Who’s the moron who—?” She turned to face Silver, her rage instantly dissipating into shock.

            “What?” Meowth asked, lifting himself from where he’d hit the ground to see what was going on. “Who…? Li’l Boss!” He recognized Silver.

            “Uh…” Jessie leapt to her feet again, before grabbing James and thrusting him in front of her as a human shield. “It was his fault. He wasn’t paying attention again! Uh, he was… uh…!”

            “Jessie!” James said through a clenched, nervous grin, his hands raised defensively.

            _Pathetic idiots,_ Silver shook his head. _Bumbling fools. How did they become Rockets in the first place?_

            _Oh. Right._ Silver remembered.

            _Either way, they don’t really belong here. They…_

            Silver snapped his eyes open.

            _That’s perfect. That will help so many of us, and in so many ways._

            “It’s fine,” Silver muttered. “I was…” he didn’t make eye contact. “I was, uh, looking for you anyway.”

            “Oh?” Jessie peeked out around James’s shoulder. “What do you want? Sir?” She added as an afterthought.

            “You’re fired.”

            “What.” Meowth stared at him.

            “Your skills are being criminally underused here,” Silver lied. “I know someone who could use your help, somewhere where you can be useful and successful and such. Just… outside of the Team.”

            “Where?” James asked.

            “What?” Meowth added.

            “ _Who_?” Jessie demanded.

            Silver said something in a low voice, answering two of the three questions just loud enough for them to hear.

            “What?” Three voices spoke in unison.

            “How… how do ya know…?” Meowth stammered.

            “Ask when you get there,” Silver said dryly. “It’s… _quite_ the story. I suggest leaving _now_ , while I can provide you a distraction as cover.”

            The trio exchanged glances, unsure of what to say or do. Or think.

            “ _Or_ ,” Silver decided to give them a mental push, reaching for his sword, “I could just kill you.”

            Another exchange of glances passed between the three, before they took off down the hallway, heading in the opposite direction.

            “That…went better than I’d have expected,” Silver muttered.

            He felt something poke him lightly on the arm. Silver turned to face Red. The Scyther was giving him yet another glare.

            “Oh, relax,” Silver told him as they took off running again. “If they make it, they’ll be better off. In any case, they’re bound to be obnoxious in their escape, and they’ll leave any Grunts or Agents after us too confused as to who to chase after. It could work out quite well for all of us.”

            Silver glanced over at Red. The Scyther narrowed his eyes at his trainer, a small grin just barely visible on his face.

            “Oh, shut up,” Silver scoffed. “So it’s personal. I don’t have much to be sentimental about like this, and… I am technically in charge of them, after all. Just… shut up and keep running.”

            The rest of the mad dash to the elevator was surprisingly uneventful and lacking in any other contact. Silver glanced around in suspicion as they slid to a halt in front of the elevator doors. Satisfied that there wasn’t an execution squad hot on their heels—yet—Silver and Red wordlessly entered the elevator, catching their breath as it slowly brought them to the surface.

            The first thing Silver noticed as the doors opened again was that nearly all of the rusting warehouse that had concealed that particular entrance had been ripped down and apart in the assault earlier than day. The second thing he noticed was that it was pouring down rain.

            Silver took a tentative step out of the elevator, finding himself almost instantly soaked by the downpour.

            “ _Wonderful_ ,” he grumbled. “Glad I grabbed a waterproof pack.” He glanced at Scyther. “C’mon, Red. Let’s go before she sounds the alarm.”

            They took a few quick steps forward into the mud, before a four-legged shadow materialized in the rain in front of them.

            _A Persian,_ Silver recognized it as it yowled angrily at him. Red leapt in front of his trainer, raising one scythe threateningly at the cat Pokémon.

            A loud thump vibrating through the ground alerted them to the approach of an Aggron to their left. Red lifted his other scythe in _his_ direction, determined to not let anyone or anything past him.

            Silver reached for his belt, grabbing Venom’s ’ball with a deep breath.

            _Knew it wouldn’t be easy. Looks like there’ll be a fight, after all._

“Horrid night for a stroll, isn’t it?” A deep voice broke through the sound of the rain, making Silver turn sharply around, eyes wide.

            Silver recovered nearly instantly, his eyes narrowing with a scowl at the tall man standing near a pile of rubble behind him.

            “Hello, Giovanni,” Silver acknowledged his father with a snarl.

            “May I ask what has possessed you to brave such an atrocious storm?” Giovanni pressed the question again.

            “No, you may not,” Silver said in a low tone. “Now, call off your overgrown gargoyle.”

            Giovanni chuckled at his son’s attempt at a threat.

            “So, you _are_ running away.”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long.”

            “What?”

            “You have always had the same fire as your mother,” Giovanni said calmly. “Looking back, it’s rather odd that it took what it did for her to leave the Team.”

            “Yeah.” Silver drew his sword. “It’s rather fortunate I take after the mother _I’ve never known_.”

            “I did that for your own good.” Giovanni turned to face Silver properly.

            “You’re full of it,” Silver snarled. “You did it for _yourself_. _Everything_ you’ve ever done has been for you. You had a family, a life away from this hell, you threw it away, and for _what_? Power? Money? Glory? Do you _enjoy_ have the blood of the innocent on your hands, leading a horde of mindless, immoral, murderous scum?”

            “You think I _chose_ to be this?”

            “You don’t just _become_ a monster because someone conned you into it!” Silver snapped. “Not when you already had peace. Not when you can just _walk away._ ” Silver twirled his sword with his right hand, sending Venom out of his Moon Ball with his left. The Nidorino scratched at the ground, roaring at the Aggron while his trainer continued. “You pretend you’re the great philanthropist responsible for so many of the luxuries and comforts and advancements our people enjoy today, when _in truth_ , you’re the one selling their souls to a devil as old as evil itself. A devil _you_ _brought into your own house!_ ” Silver yelled. “You didn’t even bother to protect _me_ from that bastard. Your _son_ , and even _I_ wasn’t worth your time if it didn’t have something in it for _you_. I have never been _anything_ but a means to an end for you, a way to secure your position of power, your title, your legacy, your _dynasty_. You wouldn’t even let me choose _my own friends_.

            “Even _she_ was _assigned_ to me,” Silver choked. “A soldier, a genetic experiment, a _weapon_ , that’s what she was to you. A _tool_ to make sure I played by the rules of your _sick little game_.” Silver breathed heavily for a few moments. “And when she suddenly _wasn’t_ just my bodyguard, my _handler_ , she wasn’t good enough for you. You let her _murderer_ walk _free_ , let him almost kill _me_ without so much as a _threat_ in his direction! Me! Your _goddamn son!_ ”

            “You think I didn’t send _every_ assassin I could after that _bastard_?” Giovanni finally snapped. “If you believe nothing else I’ve ever said, believe that if… _when_ I finally get my hands on that monster, _Hell_ will be too pleasant for what he’s put _you_ through.”

            “You’re right,” Silver glowered. “I _don’t_ believe a word you’ve ever said. _Family_ has never meant a _damn_ _thing_ to you!”

            Silver lunged at his father, the sudden violence taking the larger man by surprise. Silver grabbed him by the collar of his suit’s pressed shirt, the force of the momentum, multiplied by Giovanni’s shock at his son’s actions, caused the teen to knock him down to the ground, mud and rainwater splashing from the force. The blade of Silver’s sword rested against Giovanni’s throat.

            The Aggron and Persian moved towards their trainer, but were instantly threatened by Venom and Red.

            “Call them off,” Silver growled.

            With a slight hand motion, Giovanni gave them a silent order to stand down. Confused, they obeyed instantly.

            “So,” Giovanni said softly. “This is how it’s going to end, then?”

            _One swift motion,_ the velvet voice murmured in Silver’s mind. _Just a brief flick of the wrist, and he’ll pay for all the lives he’s destroyed. For leaving your mother. For dragging you into this hell with him._

_Just. One…._

            “No.”

            Silver shook his head.

            “You’ve turned me into a lot of horrible things,” he told his father, “and I’m not proud of a single moment of it. But no matter how much you’ve done, no matter how soulless you are, no matter how pathetic, no matter how much of a bully and a con you are, no matter how many lives you’ve destroyed, how many innocents you’ve murdered, no matter how much you _deserve to die_ ,” Silver glared right into his eyes, “ _I’m_ not like _you_.

            “I won’t _kill_ my own _father_.”

            Giovanni stared at him, as if unable to comprehend the words Silver has just said.  

            Silver didn’t seem to notice the change in the man’s expression, instead releasing him and standing back up. Sheathing his sword once more, Silver looked up to see the elevator open up again to reveal a squad of Rockets.

            _Time to go._

            “C’mon!” Silver barked to his Pokémon, as he turned and made a mad dash away from them. Away from there.

            _Away from it_ _all_.

            Red and Venom were close behind, but the shouts and cries revealed without having to give a single glance back that the Rockets weren’t too far off themselves. They ran the across the length of the slight valley, before sliding down the muddy mountainside at the edge. Through the heavy curtain of rain, Silver saw the figures of two humans walking along the bottom of the mountain.

            _A patrol,_ Silver realized.

            “Red!” Silver barked to the Scyther beside him. “The moment they’re in range, I need you to hit them with—!”

            A sharp yelp cut Silver’s order off, and the teen turned in time to see one of the two Rockets strike the other on the back of the head. The attacked Rocket collapsed to the mud.

            _What… hell?_ Silver had trouble stringing even a fraction of a thought together.

            Silver stumbled forward slightly when he finally reached the end of his descent. He approached the still-standing Rocket. He raised a hand to block some the rain, finally being able to identify the figure in front of him as—

            “ _Mondo?_ ” Silver breathed. “What the _hell?_ What…? What did you just _do?_ ”

            “What I should have done a _long_ time ago,” Mondo muttered, barely audible over the rain.

            “I… I don’t…”

            “You _are_ running away, aren’t you? Or is there some _other_ reason there’s an angry mob chasing you?”

            _The others_ , Silver remembered, glancing back to see his pursuers reluctantly mimicking his slide down the mountain. _I’ve got to go!_

            “I—!”

            “Run!” Mondo told him. “I’ll hold them off, I’ll… I’ll cover you, lie if I have to. I’ll make sure they lose you, keep them off your trail. I’ll help you get away any way I can. Just go!”

            Silver gaped at him, trying to piece things together.

            “Come with me,” he muttered. “I could use someone trustworthy out there and… you don’t belong here.”

            “Whether I belong here, or not, I can’t.” Mondo shook his head. “I still have too much of a mess to clean up here, in the Team. Too much I’ve done that I still need to atone for.”

            “Wha…what do you…?”

            “Go! Run. _Save yourself._ _That’s_ what she died for, _three years_ ago. Because _I_ failed you. Run, and find peace for your soul, and for hers. I will _not_ fail you again.”

            Silver stared at him for a moment, before giving Mondo a sharp nod. He turned and ran as fast as he could into the forest.

            Silver lunged over fallen logs, and around trees, Red and Venom close behind and often right beside him in their mad dash to freedom. Silver was thankful for the cover of the trees, giving him a slight respite from the rain, but the benefit to his sight was almost completely taken away again by the dark blurs of the forest swirling around him as he tore through it.

            Suddenly, one of the trees fell and cut him off, causing Silver to slid to a halt and slip in the mud, falling onto his backside. A pair of eyes above him revealed that the tree had not fallen from a force of nature.

            “End of the line, kid,” Archer glared down at him from atop the fallen trunk.

            Wordlessly, Red expressed his disagreement with a Wing Attack across the Elite’s face. Archer was knocked back off of the log onto the ground.

            Red helped Silver back onto his feet.

            A Houndoom leapt from where Archer had disappeared, lunging straight for Silver. Before the attack could connect, however, Venom struck the Houndoom with a Mud-Slap, knocking the Fire Pokémon down with a pained yelp.

            “Well, well, well,” Ariana materialized from the darkness to Silver’s left. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a traitor.”

            _This is_ never _going to_ end! Silver glared at her.

            “Arbok!” Ariana barked. “Grab the punk with a Wrap!”

            “Chaaaaaabok!” The Poison-type snake sprung out of the shadows from beside the Elite at Silver.

            A brown blur hit the Arbok just in time, knocking it aside.

            “What the _hell!_ ” Ariana stepped back in surprise.

            _The Shiny Mightyena!_ Silver recognized his savoir. _What…where did he come from?_

_Why?_

            The Mightyena turned back to look at Silver.

            _Silver!_ A powerful, yet familiar voice echoed in his mind. _Run! They will_ not _follow!_

            Silver stared as the Mightyena began to glow in a blinding light and transform. After a moment, it was gone, a blue, Shiny Mew in its place, also sporting a tuft of brown hair.

            “I promise!” It spoke in perfect English, its brown eyes starting to glow with the purple energy of a Psychic attack.

            Silver continued to gape for a split second, before giving a sharp nod and running off once more.

            Mid-dash, Silver grabbed Venom’s Pokéball off of his belt, recalling the Nidorino. The rest of his desperate sprint through the forest was uneventful, aside from sounds of the battle behind him. Just when he thought his legs couldn’t carry him another step, the forest suddenly ended, allowing the full force of the rain’s torrent to fall upon him once more. Slowing down, his knees shaking with every step, Silver stopped when he heard, not the sound of wet grass and mud beneath his feet, but the hollow thud of wood.

            Silver blinked into the night, realizing after a moment where he was.

            _The pier. I made it to the gulf. I just… if I can cross that… then… then they won’t be able to follow me anymore. They’ll… definitely lose my scent; they won’t… be able… to… track… me._

He looked out into the stretch of water before him. The waves in the gulf churned, visible even in the dark of the storm, raging in a dark warning.

            “I can’t swim that,” Silver told Red. “I…I can barely swim at _all._ ”

            Red grabbed Silver’s jacket sleeve in his mouth, tugging his trainer to approach him.

            “What are you—?” Silver started, before the Scyther similarly grabbed the front of his jacket and forcefully dragged the human teen onto his back. “Are you going to try to _carry_ me across that?”

            In response, Red started to dash towards the end of the pier, bringing Silver along for the ride.

            “Can you swim?” Silver yelled.

            Red leapt off of the end of the wooden pier.

            _He’s gonna have to!_ Silver prayed, slamming his eyes shut.

            They hit the water with a loud splash, the wave roaring and raging all around them in the building storm. Despite the difficulty to even staying afloat, the Scyther trudged on, using his scythes in a crude combination of a doggie-paddle and an oaring motion to gradually cut his way across the gulf.

            Silver kept his eyes shut, forcing his stomach to remain steady through the lunging and the choppy jerks back and forth, up and down. After what seemed like an eternity, though, it came to an abrupt stop.

            “Wha?” Silver tried to form a coherent thought.

            Red stumbled forward onto the muddy bank for a few feet, finally out of the water, before collapsing to the ground, electing to keep dragging them forward by pulling himself along with his scythes.

            After a few minutes, even this slow manner of movement proved to be too much for the exhausted Scyther, and he yielded to the pull of the mud beneath him.

            _TSSSEEEEEEW!_

            A burst of red light shot from Silver’s belt, and the form of a Totodile materialized next to them.

            “Totototototototototototototo!” Fang gurgled happily for a moment, before noticing his trainer and his friend both lying in the mud, barely conscious. “Totototo toto dile?”

            “Fang…” Silver moaned, reaching towards the little Totodile. “Fang… go… find… go find… help.”

            Fang tilted his head slightly, nudging Silver’s face with his snout.

            “You’re… you’re a good boy, Fang,” Silver said softly, gingerly placing his outstretched hand on the little Water Pokémon’s head. “You’re a good boy. Go find help.”

            Fang gave a confused gurgle, before reluctantly turning and running off into the new forest before him. 

            Silver felt the darkness of the night swirl around him, and finally surrendered to his exhaustion.

            In the shade of sleep, Silver found refuge in the gaze of the eyes he knew he would never truly see again.

            _Silver._

            “I did it,” he told her. “I’m finally free.”

            _Yes. Yes, you are._

Silver took a step towards her, reaching out with a smile.

            Before he could reach her, however, her body split in two, exploding into a wave of blood that surged towards him.

            _No!_

            The powerful, metallic current pulled him away, the dark red color engulfing every one of his senses.

            _NO!_

            “Hey!” A teenage boy in a too-large dark green hooded rain poncho yelled over to his companion. “Over here! He’s over here!”

            Red forced himself back into the waking world, hearing a strange voice approaching his trainer. The Scyther glared up at the green-haired boy standing above him, placing a single scythe protectively over Silver’s unconscious form.

            “It’s all right, buddy,” the boy chuckled. “You’re safe now. We won’t hurt him. Let us help.”

            “Did he swim across the gulf?” Another teenage boy in a similar, red poncho approached, shouting through the roar of the rain. A Swampert followed close behind. “In this weather? No _wonder_ he’s passed out! He’s lucky he’s not _dead!_ ”

            “We’ll worry about the _how_ and _why_ later!” The first teen shouted back. “For now, let’s have Vlad carry him back to camp and get him dried by the fire! _Before_ he catches his death out here!”

            “That theory’s been disproven!” The second one retorted.

            “ _Just do it!_ ”

            “All right! You heard the man, Vlad!” He turned to the Swampert. “Take him! And hurry!”

            The Swampert gently scooped the soaked, muddy, limp form of Silver in his arms, before turning and sprinting with him straight back into the woods.

            The teen in the red poncho carefully picked up Red.

            “You did good, buddy,” the teen told him, “I’m sure. Wherever you’re running from, you’re safe here. Now, leave the rest to us.”

            Still caught in his nightmare sea of blood, Silver reached out desperately, trying to find anything to stop the current from dragging him under. Eventually, his frantic hands caught onto the solid form of dirt, somewhere in the churning reds. Using this grip to steady himself, he forced his head to remain above the surface, and saw that he had grabbed onto a small chunk of a tall, dirt river bank, though the sheer height of it resembled more of the sheer cliff of a mountainside.

            He saw the handle of his grandfather’s sword, _his_ sword, protruding out from the dirt wall a few feet above him. Fighting the contradictions of the surging current of the blood river, Silver reached up and grabbed it with one hand. Using its surprisingly stable location as a brace, Silver started to pull himself up out of the river below.

            Above him, he saw two figures standing at the edge of the dirt cliff, laughing and talking to each other.

            Silver yelled up to them, but no matter how he shouted, pleaded or cursed, they did not seem to notice that he even existed. Instead, they just continued in their solitary, indistinguishable conversation.

            Silver spat a bitter curse, before he noticed two more figures approach. Unlike the first pair of shadows, Silver could identify these: two Pokémon, a Pikachu and a Dragonite.

            _Pikachu._

            _Dragonite._

            Silver suddenly understood.

            They weren’t just _ignoring_ his plight.

            They had helped _cause_ it.

            Silver narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth and gripping onto the sword’s handle with both hands. He locked his glare onto the Pikachu, and onto the shape of the trainer whose shoulder it now sat upon.

            _You stole_ everything _from me!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, I've got the fic up-to-date with what's been published elsewhere. Once my Beta has a little free time again (quite soon, it sounds like) and I get a small backlog, I should be updating again, and mildly frequently.


	27. Harbors

Silver came to gradually, a consistent throbbing in his head making him wish he had remained unconscious.

            _Where am I?_

            The soft sound of a nearby fire crackling echoed in his ears. His arms were loosely strapped to his sides in the folds of a soft, warm blanket. The feel of the fleece against his chest told him that someone had taken his jacket and shirt off before bundling him up, but had, thankfully, left his pants on. The familiar warmth of Fang’s sleeping form was curled up on his left shoulder.

            _Where am I?_ _What… happened?_

            He slowly blinked his eyes open, as his vision adjusted to the initially overwhelming orange light. A couple feet in front of him was the campfire he had heard, the flames low but consistent. The soft fleece blanket wrapped around him was a dull, fading green color, a few frayed holes betraying its age.

            Over the sound of the fire, Silver could hear the soft patters of the weakening rain, echoing within the walls of the slight cave that was serving as the shelter of whoever had found him.

            But, _who_ …?

            “Ah, so you _are_ alive,” a calm voice said in near-disinterest. “Good, I was hoping that this extra stew wasn’t going to have to go to waste.”

            Silver turned slightly towards the voice.

            A lean-bodied teenage boy sat on a boulder on the other side of the flames from Silver, his green hair just barely short enough to not be poking his eyes, even as wet as it was. He wore a white, button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his dull green slacks had the shadows of still-drying mud halfway up to his knees. His face was expressionless, and he wasn’t even looking at Silver, his focus instead on stirring the pot of the aforementioned stew cooking over the campfire.

            “What?” Silver eventually asked. “Wh-who? Wh-where? What? … _Why_?” He stammered, unable to ask a full question.

            “I could ask you the same thing,” the other teen muttered, barely audible. “Just _why_ did you swim across the gulf in that storm?”

            “I… didn’t,” Silver avoided the question. “Technically.” He looked away, towards his right. He saw the sleeping form of Red, the Scyther curled around his trainer protectively, even in slumber.

            “Yeah, that would have been impossible for _you_ ,” the green-haired teen glared at him over the pot. “I’ll rephrase. Why did you make your _Scyther_ carry you across the gulf in that storm?”

            “I didn’t. He insisted on it.”

            “I told you, Wally,” A new voice chuckled from right behind Silver, making the red-haired teen turn sharply in surprise. “There’s only one thing over there that would inspire a _Scyther_ to swim across the gulf in a storm, with or without the extra burden of a trainer on his back.”

            “What the hell?” Silver gaped at the boy sitting atop of the tall boulder he had been sitting against.

            This teen was a bit more powerfully built than his companion, though his frame was still generally slender. His brown eyes sparked with amusement as his smirked slightly down at Silver. His brown hair was cut rather short against his head, except for a small chunk of fringe by his forehead. He wore a black and green jacket, its collar popped up, and a pair of black pants, both of them somehow utterly dry and perfectly spotless, despite the moisture of rainwater still in his hair. He held some sort of strange green-and-white cap in one hand, while his chin rested in the palm of the other.

            “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

            “ _The_ _hell?_ ” Silver repeated, trying to move away from the intruder. Fortunately, the blanket was wrapped around him tight enough to restrict his movement, preventing him from back right into the campfire.

            “Brendan, please don’t do that!” Wally sighed. “I’d really rather not have that blanket in the fire. Again.”

            “How many times do I have to say, that wasn’t _my_ —!”

            “ _What_ the _hell_ is _going on_?” Silver barked. “Who the _hell_ are you? _Why_?”

            “You should thank that Totodile of yours,” Wally said flatly. “He found us and wouldn’t calm down until we followed him to where you and your Scyther were lying in the mud.”

            “We brought you to our camp to get you out of the storm, to let you rest and dry off,” Brendan explained further. “That was last night. And, to answer your next question, my name is Brendan Birch and this is Wally.”

            “ _Wallace!_ ” Wally hissed through a clenched jaw.

            “I’m telling you, man, you just don’t pull that name off.”

            “Why?” Silver asked again.

            “Look at him.” Brendan raised a brow. “Does he _look_ like a—?’

            “And, just what does _that_ mean?”

            “No!” Silver snapped. “ _Why_?” He repeated.

            Brendan and Wally exchanged a glance.

            “Do we need a reason to help someone in trouble?” Brendan asked. “Or, would you have rather we let you die out there?”

            “Trouble? Die?”

            “Team Rocket was in full force on the other side of that gulf, chasing after _somebody_ ,” Wally clarified. “The storm was too heavy for Archie to make out anything, but he saw that they were clearly agitated.”

            “You mean,” Brendan looked at Silver, “you _weren’t_ the person they were after? You didn’t try to attack them, or anything?”

            Silver looked back up at him, but said nothing.

            _Shit._

            “Brendan, this guy isn’t exactly the type of trainer that would be able to stand up against the Team on his own, even with that sword.” Wally shook his head, before looking at Silver. “Run away from home?”

            Silver opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of _what_ to say, let alone _how_ to say it.

            “Dude?” Brendan asked after a long pause.

            “Uh…” Silver finally found his voice. “Um, sure… something like that.” He avoided eye contact, looking at the sleeping Scyther next to him. “You said there were Rockets out there?”

            _What do they…?_ Silver looked back and forth between them several times, trying to make the motion as casual and nonthreatening as he could.

            Suddenly, he recognized the brown-haired teen, the one named Brendan. He forced himself to remain expressionless in a desperate battle to hide his surprise.

            _The other boy,_ Silver recognized him. _From the security footage…. Was that_ last _night_? _It’s the one with the Swampert, the one who was with_ ….

            _With Gyles’s son_ , the very thought sparked a burst of rage in his stomach.

            _There’s no way he can recognize me,_ he calmed himself down almost immediately. _I wasn’t in the lab during the attack. And the other guy…_

            “There was a bit of a swarm roaming around last night,” Wally muttered. “They were certainly looking for _someone_.” He poured a few ladlefuls of the stew into a soup bowl. “You mean, you didn’t notice them _at all_ last night?”

            “It was hard to see or hear much of anything in that storm.” Silver shrugged, trying to reveal as little of the truth as he could without outright lying. “The last thing I remember was Red dragging me with him across the gulf and collapsing in the mud.”

            “See?” Brendan jumped off of his boulder as Wally handed Silver his breakfast. Silver muttered his thanks as the brown-haired teen approached his companion. “What did I tell you?” Brendan said in a tone that implied a continuation of a previous argument. “ _Please?_ ” He clasped his hands together, giving Wally a mildly goofy grin.

            Wally sighed.

            “Excuse us, would you?” He said to Silver before grabbing Brendan by the sleeve of his jacket and dragging him out of the cave, out of sight and earshot.

            _Into the rain?_ Silver tilted his head in confusion. _It’s not like they can honestly expect me to think they’re talking about something other than me at the moment. Not after… that._ Silver took a few more bites of the stew before gently taking Fang off of his shoulder—how the Totodile managed to not only hold on but sleep through all of that, he had no clue. Silver placed him next to Red, before standing up and out of the folds of the fleece blanket. He walked over towards the cave entrance, sticking to the wall. _So, then, what do they…?_

            “What is it with you and strays?” Wally’s voice hissed, just above the volume of the soft rainfall. “Why do you feel the need to take in every single living thing that gets so much as a paper cut and—?”

            “I took in _you_ , remember?” Brendan’s voice chuckled.

            “ _I_ actually _needed_ help back then.”

            “And now?”

            “Now, _I’m_ keeping _you_ from getting killed,” Wally sounded irritated.

            “You used to be _fun_ ,” Brendan groaned. “You _used_ to be happy and trusting.”

            “You _know_ why I’m not anymore.”

            “That’s not fair, Wally,” Brendan’s voice darkened. “Don’t you think I blame myself _enough_ for that?”

            _What the hell_? Silver narrowed his eyes.

            “Besides, _we’re_ the ones that walked away,” Brendan stressed.

            “ _Exactly,_ ” Wally sounded bitter. “We can’t count on him being _just like us_ simply because it’s how it looks. Remember how it looked to the cops?”

            “Remember how afraid we were to tell the truth?” Brendan countered. “How afraid we were _of_ the truth _itself_?”

            “That’s—!”

            “He’s a kid, just like us,” Brendan cut him off. “We have to offer him help.”

            “What if—?”

            “What if he _is_?” Brendan interrupted Wally’s retort again. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, remember?”

            “But—!”

            “I remember someone else who ran from home and almost got himself killed in about three different ways before I rescued him. Someone who managed to piss off Team Magma, back in Hoenn.”

            Wally sighed.

            _This Brendan guy sounds like he wants to adopt me_. Silver was almost amused. _Maybe I should let them help. The Team will likely be looking for me for a while. They can help me get as far away from here as possible, and… and it’ll be the last thing they’ll expect. They know me to prefer to be alone. They won’t be looking for a_ group _of teenage boys; they’ll be looking for loners._

_And, the other guy, Wally… he might have been a part of the other force we fought, the guerilla attack from the forest. They had quite a team of Psychic-types to fight like that from the shadows of the trees. But, if we couldn’t see them, then maybe they had trouble making us out, too. Wally’s just probably suspicious in general. He can’t possibly have_ proof _that I was a Rocket._

            Silver sighed.

            _Either way, it looks like I won’t be reaching my_ preferred _destination anytime soon._

_Just as well_ , he decided after a moment. _My father will expect me to head directly there. It’s the only place I have any connection to, anymore. I should lie low for a while, until it’s safe to finally…._

Silver walked back towards Red and Fang.

            _I just hope that they don’t expect me to be talkative…._

_..._  
...  
 

“No sign of him, sir,” the words came in a sea of static through the small, cracked hand radio.

            “Understood.” Archer sighed his response. He ran his free hand through his short, blue hair in frustration. He turned towards the desk where Giovanni sat in an expressionless silence. “Nothing, sir.” He relayed the message from the patrol.

            “I can’t believe that we lost him.” Ariana scowled. “That little punk couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag.”

            “Well, that _Mew_ certainly could,” Archer reminded her. “Even two top Elites would need help bringing down a Mew.”

            Giovanni broke his thousand-yard stare to look at Archer.

            “A Mew?”

            “A particularly unusual one, too,” Ariana said. “I think it may have been Shiny. Our scientists theorized that a Shiny Mew would be a darker shade, but it _was_ blue, at least.”

            “With a tuft of brown hair,” Archer added softly.

            Giovanni stood up.

            “Ariana.” He turned to her. “Go and bring in the patrols. Call off the search.”

            “ _What!_ ” She yelped. “You want us to let that traitor go free?”

            “He happens to be _my son_ ,” he reminded her. “And he’s not a traitor.”

            “What.”

            Archer narrowed his eyes, though he didn’t say anything.

            “I’ve sent him on a deep undercover mission,” Giovanni said in a flat tone. “In order for it to work, in order to create a plausible cover for him, he had to depart in a particularly… explosive fashion to make it appear to anyone and everyone that witnessed it that he is a hated enemy of the Team. What easier way is there to gain the trust of others than to unite against a common foe?”

            “Why wouldn’t you inform your _Elites_ about this, then?”

            “I did inform one,” Giovanni countered. “Elite Silver understood what he was doing. Besides, the details are _above your pay grade_.”

            Ariana glared at him for a moment.

            “Yes, sir,” she relented. “I’ll go call off the search.”

            Ariana left, leaving Giovanni and Archer alone in his office.

            “There’s no mission,” Archer muttered when she was well out of earshot. “You’re letting Silver go.”

            “Every parent must let go at some point.”

            “Your mother didn’t.”

            “Oh, she did,” Giovanni gave a soft smile. “I just didn’t give her a choice. Funny, I suppose. The very thing she threatened to keep me in control was the one thing that finally gave me the push I needed to break from it.”

            “And look at where you are now.”

            Giovanni hesitated.

            “Only because you saved my life that night.”

            “I think I saved more than that,” Archer chuckled lightly.

            Giovanni looked at him, but didn’t respond. Instead, the tall man walked over to a portrait that hung on one wall, the paint completely covered by several layers of dust. He gently brushed some of it away with his hand, revealing the faces underneath.

            A manipulative woman, a broken man, and a captive son. Her eyes were cold and piercing, their power immortalized even so long after her violent death. Her feminine business suit revealed her taste for luxury, and the dark crimson color was the same shade as the blood of all those she’d killed to attain her luxuries. Her husband didn’t smile. He had never smiled, except for a few stolen moments, those few times that Giovanni remembered his father being… being _his father_. The man’s long red hair was tied back into a sort of ponytail, and his hand rested on his son’s shoulder, as if trying to protect him.

            The boy had his mother’s black hair, his father’s blue eyes, and the build of neither. Giovanni still couldn’t believe how scrawny of a teenager he had been. How soft-looking he had been. How terrified, how scarred, how desperate he had been.

            How _human_ he once was.

            “Sir?”

            “I never read the file,” Giovanni muttered. “What…what did Madame Boss say was the cause of death?”

            “All these years, and you never even read—?” Archer didn’t understand.

            “Tell me, then.”

            “ _Officially_ , it was said he was killed by… deserters.”

            Giovanni sighed.

            “That was _years_ ago,” Archer reminded him. “Why are you bringing it up n—?”

            “He said he wasn’t like me,” Giovanni interrupted in a soft tone. “I didn’t know that… that he’d been taught…”

            Archer gaped at him.

            “It would seem that only one person has lived long enough to keep their promise to protect him. Only one living soul that hasn’t betrayed him.” Giovanni turned back to Archer. “No.” Giovanni shook his head. “Silver has new protectors, now. His team will stand beside him. I picked that Scyther for him because I knew it would be loyal to him, even to the death. I just hope he’s stronger than I was, than I _am_.”

            “Sir?” It had been a _very_ long time since Archer had seen Giovanni so… _vulnerable._

            He was almost… _human_.

            “I should have expected this.”

            “What?” Archer asked. “Him to leave? To abandon the Team?”

            “Of course.” Giovanni turned back to the portrait, the corners of his mouth barely curved in the faintest smile. “It’s in his blood, after all.”

_..._  
...  
  


“Aura, we don’t have time for this.”

            “Shhh!” Aura raised a paw to hush her companion. “You’ll make me lose count.”

            “Right,” Misty sighed. “The lights and music and people aren’t distracting. Just me.”

            The Lucario ignored her. Aura was staring down at a five-by-five grid of green squares on the screen built into the table in front of her. Several of the squares were instead colored a slightly reddish brown, a black number on it, mostly twos, with a single three on the board. Most of the other, still green squares had crude, yellow notes detailing the Lucario’s estimated guess as to what they concealed.

            The lights and sounds of the surrounding Game Corner didn’t seem to faze the Lucario’s concentration in the least bit, though they were beginning to give her human companion a headache.

            Misty shook her head. At least they were making better time than they had expected. Suk had wanted to get them on their way as soon as possible after Ash had completed the Rock Element’s Test. He had also wanted to prevent gathering the attention of Team Rocket, who still had a heavy presence in the area. So the Rock Sage had taken them through a series of underground tunnels that, in just a couple of days, had led them almost straight into Goldenrod.

            They were in serious need of supplies, now. Misty and Aura had volunteered to buy some while Nyx helped Ash with his own Elemental training in the outskirts of town.

            _Better leave the supplies to someone capable of concentrating_ , Misty smiled. _We don’t want another incident like the desert again. At the very least, we shouldn’t let Ash do anything important_ by himself _for a while._

            “Aura, shouldn’t we be going?”

            “We got our supplies,” she grumbled rapidly waving a hand at Misty again. “We’ve got time. Now, _hush!_ ”

            “Glad we didn’t bring Jerzy,” Misty chuckled. “He’d probably _combust_ if he ever set foot in here.”

            “Aaaagh!” Aura groaned, as Misty’s words distracted her just long enough that she tapped the wrong square, revealing a Voltorb instead of the three she’d intended on. “I was two flips away from reaching level seven!”

            “Why are you gambling, anyway, Aura?” Misty asked. “You didn’t have much of your own money to start with.”

            “I’ve more than tripled it,” Aura grumbled, tossing a small, purple pouch up and down with one hand.

            “Where did you get that in the first place?”

            Aura was quiet for a while, as they left the table and the Corner. Misty didn’t push the question. As they stepped, blinking, out into the sun again, Aura pocketed the small, soft pouch with a sigh.

            “A friend gave it to me…a long time ago.”

            “How long?” Misty asked.

            Aura looked at her as they walked down the city sidewalk. How long? Didn’t she mean _who?_

            _This human is… very strange._

            “Over… sixteen years ago. I was a hatchling.”

            _Keep it, little one._ The voices of the past echoed in her mind once more.

            _What is she going to do with that?_

_Whatever she wants. She’s earned it, after all._

_I haven’t done anything,_ she remembered pointing out.

            _You’re spoiling her again._ Her father sounded almost amused.

            _Maybe. She_ is _family, after all. Just as much as anyone else in this house._

            “He was the bravest soul I’d ever met,” Aura admitted in a voice barely audible to Misty.

            “What happened to him, then?” Misty asked as they took a shortcut through a back alleyway.

            “They…. He….” Aura shook her head, before shooting Misty a glare. “He was _destroyed_.”

            “So, you’d waste that gift on a gamble?” Misty narrowed her eyes at her.

            “ _Life_ is a gamble,” Aura argued. “Life is about _taking_ chances, or _letting_ them take _you_.”

            “What does that mean?”

            _This money was supposed to save us, to buy our freedom_ , Aura thought to herself. _Instead, I almost died and he…._

            Aura shook her head, stopping in her tracks.

            “It means that I’m not a _damn coward_ ,” Aura snarled. “At least I’m not _afraid_ of how I _feel_.”

            “What is that supposed to mean?” Misty stopped, turning back to face her.

            “You like him.” Aura crossed her arms, the wind in the empty alley ruffling her fur and leather jacket.

            “Excuse me?”

            “The awkward glances, the uncomfortable silences, that _embarrassing_ way you fuss over him with increasing frequency.” Aura shook her head. “Admit it. I want to hear you say the words.”

            “I-I…” Misty stammered, taking the slightest step backward. “I d-don’t know wh-what you’re talk-talking about.”

            “You. Have. A Crush. On Ash.” Aura punctuated each word with a step forward until she was standing right in front of Misty, getting in her face. “Admit it.”

            Misty didn’t say anything for a long moment.

            “Or,” Aura eventually said, “I could just tell him myself.”

            “I…I…” Misty finally found her voice. “I mean…. If…if you say so.”

            Aura sighed. The Lucario stepped back a few paces, shaking her head.

            “ _That’s_ what I mean,” Aura said. “You won’t even admit it to _yourself_ , let alone me. Why are you so… _hesitant_ about this? It’s _not_ that hard. You’re a girl. He’s a guy. You like him. He _might_ like _you_. _Why_ is that so _complicated?_ ”

            “How would you know?” Misty snapped in retort. “You’ve said yourself that you’ve never had a mate.”

            Aura flattened her ears against the back of her head, looking down at her paws. She sighed again.

            “Because I know,” she whispered. “I know what… what it means… for things to be… complicated. To be _powerless_.” She looked back up at Misty. “This is not like that. You’re just being cowardly.”

            “I—!”

            “Stop running away,” Aura cut her off. “Be there. I know it’s cliché, but just be _yourself_. Running only brings regret, and regret only brings pain.”

            “Why are you telling me this?”

            Aura hesitated.

            “Now who’s afraid of her feelings?” Misty chuckled lightly. “You like me. You trust me. Us. You like and trust all of us. Even Ash.” _Especially Ash._

            “I don’t like Jerzy,” Aura deflected.

            “None of us do; Jerzy doesn’t count.”

            “If there’s anyone alive I still trust, that I _can_ trust,” Aura scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, “it’s _you._ I don’t… I….” She exhaled through her nose deeply. “I know what that regret, what that pain feels like. You shouldn’t. Not because of something so simple to overcome as fear.”

            “What’s so much harder to fight than _fear?_ ”

            Aura looked at her for a moment.

            _I can’t tell her. She wouldn’t understand._

_She’d shun me, too._

            “Everything,” Aura eventually settled on, refusing to look her companion in the eye. “Just… remember something…. Courage is not found on the battlefield. Courage is found in the heart.”

            “Aura?” Misty narrowed her eyes. The Lucario was acting very odd.

            _Did something happen on the Test? Something that scared her enough that she’d actually_ reach out _like this?_

            “Come on,” Aura walked by her, continuing down the alleyway again. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s get back to the others before that dolt gets himself killed.”

            Misty smiled slightly, following after her.

            “What Element is next, again?” Misty decided to change the subject.

            “Um,” Aura tried to recall the order of the Cycle. “I think it’s… Bug Type, next.”

            “Bug?” Misty repeated. “Y-you sure?”

            “Yeah, why?” Aura looked at her. “Wait. You’re… you’re _joking_.” The Lucario buried her face in her palm.

            _Oh, dear Arceus, we have_ so _much work to do….  
_

_..._  
...  


“What’s her name, again?”

            Silver looked at Wally, turning from his Sneasel to do so. After a moment, he turned back and continued to polish the Dark-Type Pokémon’s claws with a cloth.

            “Minerva,” he eventually muttered.

            “Where did you catch her?”

            “My…uh,” Silver hesitated. _No harm in the truth, right? Just…without the…finer details._ “My father gave her to me. Belated birthday gift, I guess.”

            “Unusual for a trainer to stay at home for so long,” Wally pointed out.

            “My father didn’t—didn’t approve of me traveling around.”

            “What about your mother?” Wally asked. “I haven’t heard you mention her once, yet.”

            Silver hesitated again.

            “Um… there’s… there’s not much to mention.”

            Wally narrowed his eyes. “I think I’m beginning to understand why you ran away.”

            _I highly doubt that_. “If you say so,” Silver said, rubbing his forehead. A dull buzzing sound persisted in his skull.

            “Something wrong?”

            “Headache?” Silver raised a brow.

            “Would you like something for that?”

            _So Brendan wanted to adopt me, but Wally’s the one that’s going to fuss over me constantly?_ Silver raised his brow higher. _What have I gotten myself into?_

“GUYS!” Brendan’s voice exploded from the Violet City Pokémon Center’s front door as he sprung out to where they sat on a bench across the street from it. “GUYS! GUYSGUYSGUYS! _GUYS!_ ” He bounced up and down in front of Wally, clearly talking to him more than to Silver.

            “What, Brendan?” Wally sighed, his eyes narrowed in disinterest.

            “I was talking to Dad.”

            “And this is news to me how?” Wally looked away.

            “He said that there’s a swarm of Wynaut just outside Slateport!” Brendan was still bobbing up and down in his excitement.

            “Wonderful.” Wally still didn’t look at him.

            “Aren’t Wynaut native to Hoenn?” Silver asked. “What’s so special about a swarm outside _Slateport?_ ”

            “They’re _pink_!” Brendan gave an even larger grin.

            “Dear _God_.” Wally buried his face in his hand.

            “So, can we go?” Brendan finally stopped bouncing. “Can we? Can we, please? Please, please, pleasepleaseplease? Can we, can we, can we?”

            Wally looked over to Silver. “Never have children.”

            “Not a problem,” Silver muttered back.

            “Fine, if you won’t go, I’ll just go alone.” Brendan crossed his arms.

            Wally sighed again.

            “What about Silver? Shouldn’t he have a say?”

            “Oh, _now_ you care!” Brendan spat in mock offense, turning and storming away in an overly dramatic fashion.

            “I don’t care where we go,” Silver muttered. “I just want to get as far away from my father as possible.” _Plus, the Team hasn’t set up much of a force in Hoenn, yet. And, they’re stationed in Lilycove, anyway. They’ll be too far away to even catch rumors in time, even if they could spare so much as a single Grunt, which I doubt._

            “Right.”

            “Is he always like this?” Silver changed the subject, sensing Wally’s suspicion.

            “He’s rather calm today.”

            Silver looked at him.

            “That was a joke.”

            Silver raised his brow again.

            “I joke sometimes,” Wally insisted. “What? I do! I can be funny!”

            “I don’t laugh.” Silver kicked a pebble across the street. “Anymore.”

            “Right,” Wally sighed. “We need to work on your people skills.”

            My _people skills?_ Silver held back a scoff.

            “So, are we going?” Brendan’s voice broke through his thoughts, causing him to turn sharply around, stumbling off of the bench in the process.

            “What… _hell?_ ” Silver gaped at him. “Where did you _come from?_ ”

            “You get used to that,” Wally muttered. “Just be happy his girlfriend doesn’t travel with us. Having _two_ around is almost utter _hell_.”

            “Oh, you think we’re cute, and you know it.”

            “Come on, Minerva,” Silver motioned to the Sneasel as he began to walk down the street. “If I’m getting on a plane with him, then I’m going to need to buy… _something_.”

            “You going to get painkillers?” Wally allowed himself a slight smile.

            “Nope,” Silver glanced back, holding back a smile. He turned forward again before muttering to himself. “I’m going to go buy the whole damn _pharmacy_.”


	28. Bewilderment

“So, you headed to Six Island, too?” Ash asked the purple-haired youth.

            “The Pattern Bush, to be specific, yeah.” He adjusted the yellow tie he wore over his scout-like, green uniform.

            “Who the hell is this?” Aura muttered to Misty.

            “Bugsy,” the teenage girl informed the Lucario. “He’s the leader of the Azalea Town Gym. Bug types.”

            “Oh,” Aura smirked, leaning back against the railing of the boat, “that explains your lack of enthusiasm.”

            “How are you feeling, by the way?” Misty ignored the comment.

            “…What,” Aura said in a flat voice.

            “How’s your head?” Misty asked cautiously. “And…and your chest?”

            “What do you mean?” Aura raised a brow. Trying to shrug off the question, she looked over to where Ash and Bugsy were having an excited conversation about the size of the Heracross found in a certain area of the Pattern Bush.

            “You _always_ have a headache lately, and you had an episode—or something—and clenched your chest before you passed out the other day.”

            “What do you mean _‘had an episode’_?” Aura glanced at her.

            “You yelled about… _something_ , and then clenched at your chest spike before the Psychic burnout caused you to collapse during our fight with Team Rocket,” Misty clarified. “Don’t you remember? We thought you were having a heart attack or something, at first.”

            “I didn’t have a heart attack.” Aura frowned. She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. _But, that would mean…_ “Don’t worry about me.” Aura shook her head. “I’m fine.”

            “Aura…”

            “I’m fine!” Aura snapped. She glanced over the edge of the boat to see the wooden planks of the pier slide into view. She clenched her pack’s strap with one hand, using her grip on the railing with the other to launch herself over the edge onto the pier.

            “ _Aura!_ ”

            “I said I’m _fine!_ ” Aura barked. She didn’t look back, even when her sharp hearing picked up the sound of someone leaping off the boat and across the pier towards her.

            “Go away, Nyx!”

            “Pika?” Pikachu asked as he leapt up onto her shoulder.

            “What do _you_ want?” Aura narrowed her eyes.

            “ _She’s right, you know_.” The Electric Pokémon said softly. “ _You don’t... you don’t seem well. She’s worried, and she has no clue what it could really be._ ”

            “And you…?” Aura trailed off nervously.

            “ _I think I_ might _know, and if so… she’s completely right to be worried._ ”

            “And just what do you think you know?”

            “ _You’re lying to us_.” Pikachu’s voice was tense, but level. “ _Well, maybe not to me. But, I already know some of the half-truths you’ve been avoiding._ ”

            “What are you saying?” Aura avoided his gaze, instead watching where she was walking through the small port town.

            “ _You are Bound._ ”

            Aura stopped in her tracks, staring down at the sidewalk.

            “I…I—I—I I don’t kn—know….” Aura stammered. “Th—that does—that doesn’t necessarily—!” She shook her head. “I mean—! How do you know that? You—you can’t possibly have—! I mean, not even Ash—he has the power of—!”

            “ _Ash is about as sharp as a river-polished stone_ ,” Pikachu chuckled.

            Aura blinked a few times, before chuckling. “Good point.”

            “ _What happened?_ ”

            “How do you _know_?” Aura ignored the question. “That was _long_ after my father had helped you escape to…well, to Pallet, I guess.”

            “ _Have you forgotten the horror you and your father helped me escape_ from?” Pikachu reminded her.

            Aura looked at the mouse Pokémon on her shoulder.

            A bitter memory flashed briefly before her eyes. The glint of needles. The sharp burning in her chest. The erratic beeping symbolizing her vitals. The empty look in her father’s eyes.

            She eventually looked away. “…I can’t. They did the same things to us, after all. They forced us to become more than we were meant to be.”

            “ _What happened?_ ” Pikachu repeated his earlier question.

            “I was murdered,” Aura said simply.

            “ _But, you’re still alive._ ”

            “Am I?” Aura looked at him. “If you know I’m Bound, then you surely can guess what it took to drive me to where you found me a few months ago.”

            “ _He’s…not dead?_ ” Pikachu asked cautiously.

            “You know that I wouldn’t let myself survive _that_.” Aura shook her head.

            “ _But…that would mean…that he…_ betrayed _you?_ ” Pikachu couldn’t comprehend the notion. “ _How?_ Why?”

            Aura rubbed at her chest, just below her spike. “I don’t know.”

            The Lucario turned sharply at the sound of their companions rushing through the streets towards them.

            “Aura!” Misty yelled.

            “Pikachu!” Ash joined her. “Wait up!”

            Nyx caught up first, despite the extra burden of Jerzy clinging to the top of the Shiny Umbreon’s head.

            “Wha’s wid ya, jumpin’ off ta boat like that?” The masked Rattata asked.

            Aura swiped him with the side of her paw, knocking him off of Nyx’s head.

            “Piss off.”

            “Jeez, Aura.” Ash caught up, slightly out of breath. “You could have hurt yourself doing that.”

            “Whatever.” Aura shrugged, as Pikachu leapt off her shoulder and onto his trainer’s. “Where’s your friend?”

            “Bugsy?” Ash blinked. “He said he had to go buy some more Pokéballs. He’s here to try to catch a Heracross to use in his Gym back in Azalea.”

            “He’s not gonna try to tag along with us, is he?” Aura asked, remembering Drew.

            “No.” Misty shook her head. “He said that it’s easiest to try to catch Heracross by himself. Something about too many scents freaking them out?” She shrugged. “Thank God,” she added under her breath.

            “Hmm?” Ash blinked at her. “What’d ya sa—?”

            “Can we get something to eat before we go gallivanting through the undergrowth?” Aura interrupted. “I still can’t eat much while on board a ship.”

            “Gallivanting?” Ash repeated.

            Aura sighed, burying her face in one hand.

 

…

 

Silver ran the slightly damp cloth over his Scyther’s head with one hand.

            “See?” Brendan’s voice said brightly from over his shoulder. “He looks even better already! With a regular oil scrub, Red here will have the healthiest-looking exoskeleton of any Scyther!”   

            “Hmm,” Silver mumbled noncommittally.

            “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask about that,” Brendan continued. He had already half-turned away, so he appeared to be talking to no one in particular. “You said that you were _given_ Red, yeah?”

            Silver nodded. Brendan, not facing him, neither saw it nor apparently thought he needed a confirmation.

            “I assume that he wasn’t already named when you two met?”

            “No,” Silver finally spoke. “I gave him his name. I’m not exactly creative, but…”

            “So!” Brendan turned back to him with an overly-large grin. “That _must_ mean that you plan to evolve him one day, seeing as Scizor are _red_ , and all!”

            “I’ve considered it.”

            “Well, then!” Brendan’s grin—somehow—grew even larger, and his eyes glinted. “Today is your lucky day!”

            Silver looked over towards Wally, who sat at the campfire on the other side of Brendan, stirring the stew he was making for their dinner. The green-haired teen just sighed and shook his head.

            “How so?” Silver eventually sighed.

            Brendan gave a loud, bark-like laugh. The sound echoed through Silver’s mind, pulling at an old memory and sending a painful jolt through his chest. Not noticing the brief flicker of emotion on Silver’s face, Brendan pulled out a small, chrome jar with a flat lid. He tossed the small object to Silver.

            Catching it, Silver twisted the lid off, to reveal a metallic-colored paste inside.

            “Metal Coat?” Silver dared to ask. _Unless he’s being a smart-ass and just gave me a jar of metallic grey paint._

            “Now you can evolve Red into a Scizor whenever you’re ready!”

            “Isn’t that _their_ decision to make?” Wally didn’t even look up from the pot.

            “Do you have any idea how hard it can be to find Metal Coat?” Brendan pointed out. “I just thought, since I currently don’t have any use for it—plus, Bug Pokémon grow really fast and Scizor can learn some really powerful moves, even early on.”

            Silver screwed the lid back on. He looked up at Red, the teen’s dark blue eyes locking with the Bug Pokémon’s. The Scyther eventually gave an ambiguous shrug.

            “We’ll think about it until we reach Olivine for our flight, okay?” Silver looked at Brendan from the corner of his eye.

            Brendan smiled cheerfully, before turning about to help Wally with dinner. Silver slipped the metal jar into his jacket pocket before returning his attention to Red’s exoskeleton and the oil cloth. After a long silence permeated only by the cackle of the fire and the bubbling of the stew, Silver spoke again in a barely audible tone.

            “Thanks.”

            Brendan gave Wally a small smirk, but said nothing in return.

 

…

 

“So…” Nyx’s voice trailed off. “The Pattern Bush.”

            “Yep.” Ash nodded.

            They were standing with the others in front of the thick forest of low-hanging trees and heavy thickets and undergrowth.

            “You know,” Aura broke the awkward silence, “humans believe that the strange patterns you can see from the sky—the patches of lesser vegetation that give the Bush its name—that they have some sort of meaning. That the Pattern Bush is hiding some sort of great secret.”

            “W—well,” Misty stammered. “Th—they’re definitely o—on to something th—there.”

            The Lucario shot the teenage girl a brief look of concern before focusing her gaze directly ahead once more.

            “Well,” Aura sighed, “shall we be off? Or do we want to stand out here until we turn to granite?”

            “ _I don’t think that’s poss—_ ” Pikachu started from on top of Ash’s shoulder as his Trainer began to march forward with gusto.

            “Let’s go!” Ash said cheerfully.

            He stopped in his tracks when he felt Pikachu tense on his shoulder.

            “What?” Ash looked sideways at his companion. Pikachu was half-turned on his Trainer’s shoulder, staring straight back at the others. Curious as to what grabbed the Electric Pokémon’s attention, Ash turned back around to follow his gaze…

            …Straight at Misty.

            “Misty?” Ash asked as if noticing her presence for the first time.

            “Are you alright?” Aura asked in an unusual tone.

            Ash glanced at the Lucario, taken aback by her tone.

            “I’m…it’s just,” Misty hesitated. “You know… bugs.”

            “You’re really that afraid of them?” Aura asked. “You can’t even go into the Pattern Bush?”

            “I—I…” Misty stammered. “Bugs really… bug me.”

            “Hey!” Nyx said cheerfully, trotting up to her. “It’s okay! We all have things we’re afraid of. We’ll be here for you through the whole thing.” The Umbreon shot a smile at Aura. The Lucario sighed before placing her hand on the Water Trainer’s shoulder.

            “Yeah, I guess I can protect you from the scary bugs, too. I mean, what are friends for. Or whatever.”

            Misty smiled softly.

            “Thanks, guys.”

            Ash stammered, trying to come up with something to say. Before he could regain his ability to speak, however, Pikachu leapt off of his shoulder and onto Misty’s.

            “Yeah,” Nyx agreed. “We’ll all protect you.”

            “Because, you know,” Aura muttered to Nyx, “it’s not like Bug is strong against Dark, or anything.”

            Jerzy joined in, too, leaping onto Misty’s other shoulder. “A good gen’leman ne’er passes up a chance ta aid a lady wit’ ‘er fears.”

            Aura knocked him down with a punch, the Rattata falling to the ground.

            “No one said you could stand there.”

            Ash tried to make a complete sentence, but only managed to mutter incoherently.

            Aura half turned to face him, and smirked at his frustrated expression.

            “Jealous of something, Ash?”

            “Hmm?” Misty turned to look at him, too.

            Ash’s chest constricted. Him? Jealous? _Of what?_ Absolutely not! Why should he—?

            Ash turned sharply and stormed off into the Pattern Bush without another word, fighting to ignore the growing heat across his face.

            Aura and Pikachu exchanged amused smiles. They went in after the teenager.

            “Huh?” Misty tilted her head. “What’s his problem?”

            “Come on,” Nyx chuckled, “before they get much further ahead of us.”

            _Why should I be jealous?_ Ash thought to himself. _I’m not_. _I don’t care._ The image of her confused expression at his frustration came unbidden into his mind. Ash rubbed at the base of his nose. _I don’t._

 

…

 

“Whada we do now?” Meowth asked, sitting cross-legged in front of the campfire.

            “I’m not sure,” Jessie admitted, holding a stick with a few pieces of skewered food over the flames.

            “Why don’t we go where the Boss kid told us to go?” James suggested. “He seemed convinced that we’d be safe there, at least. I mean, we _are_ criminals, but without the money from the Team, pulling off any new heists will be… difficult.”

            “I highly doubt they’d give us a warm welcome, not after what we’ve done there.”

            “Well, what else are we suppose ta do?” Meowth asked. “We should at least try, right? I mean, if da Li’l Boss said she’d take us in, den maybe she would.”

            “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Jessie glared at him.

            “Not really, but Jimmy’s right; we should at least try.”

            They looked up at the sky.

            “Why was he so determined to have us leave the Team, anyway?” James asked. “Do you think he knew something we didn’t?”

            “It doesn’t matter,” Jessie said. “If this doesn’t work out, I’m going to track that little punk down and pummel him myself.”

            A piece of food slipped off of the stick and fell into the hungry flames below, snapping and crackling as it burned to cinders.

 

…

 

“Damn it!” Aura hissed. “Way to go, Chosen One!”

              “Oh, shut up,” Ash grumbled, as he fumbled for a Pokéball off of his belt.

              They were all huddled around a tree, backed up as close to it as possible, watching as a swarm of very angry Beedrill and Combee flew around them in large circles.

              “Bugs,” Misty muttered to herself. “Bugsbugsbugsbugs….”

              Nyx leapt in front of her, glaring at the passing Bug types.

              “Ash!” He yelled. “Do something!”

              “Quilava!” He tossed the ’ball. “Give us a hand! Flamethrower!”

              “LAVA!” The Fire Pokémon yelled as it materialized in a burst of light, spewing flames at the circling Beedrill.

              “To hell with it,” Aura growled, before letting out her own purple flames in a Dragon Pulse attack.

              A large, yellow blur smacked into Aura, knocking the Lucario to the ground with a loud bark. The blur stopped, revealing its identity as a rather large Vespiquen. She turned, looking at Misty. The Water Trainer’s eyes widened even further.

              Ash took a large step to the side, placing himself between the Bug Pokémon and his best friend. Placing his back rather close against said friend.

               “Ash?” Misty breathed.

              “Stop!” The Vespiquen said firmly. “Leave us!”

              The Beedrill and Combee all stopped flying around, buzzing off into the trees and shrubs, away from Ash and the others.

              “I apologize for my kin’s aggressive swarming,” the Vespiquen continued. “But, Chosen One, you are awfully close to our nest.”

              “How…how did you know I was the Chosen One?”

              “I have been hearing your conversations since you came within earshot of the Bush. Anything my fellow Bugs hear, I also shall know. I am Hera, the Sage of the Insect Temple.” Her eyes glowed, and the tree they were all surrounding trembled.

              They all leapt away from it, turning as they did to face it. Misty bumped against Ash’s chest—hard—causing him to jerk back sharply, as if he’d been burnt.

              The tree slid across the ground, revealing it to be fake, concealing a large hole in the ground.

              “You’ll not be able to fit through most entrances to the Temple,” Hera said. “We do not wish to waste time and have our workflow disrupted any longer than it must be, so I must insist you enter in this back passage.”

              “You’re pushy,” Aura said.

              “I have a lot of workers and work to get done on a daily basis,” Hera explained. “While your quest is important, and the Chosen One must take his Test for it, our lives cannot be put on hold, not even for him.”

              “That’s understandable,” Ash said, recalling Quilava.

              “Well, then!” Nyx grinned, grabbing Jerzy in his mouth. “Le’th go!” He leapt down the hole, forgoing the built-in ladder entirely. Pikachu quickly followed after him.

              Ash looked at Misty, who stood rooted to the spot, eyes fixed on the hole in terror. Ash frowned slightly.

              _She’s terrified of Bugs. This is a Temple filled with them. Bugs._

              “Aura?” Ash turned to the Lucario.

              “What, Chosen Dolt?” Aura sounded uninterested, standing near the hole and gazing down into it.

              Ash exhaled, trying to ignore the insult. “Would you be willing to do me a huge favor?”

              “I wouldn’t count on it, but go ahead and ask.”

              “Would you go with Misty back to town?” He asked. “You guys can spend the night there; we’ll come back for you when we’re done.”

              Aura and Misty both turned to stare at him.

              “What?” Misty breathed.

              “You don’t have to do this for me.”

              Aura tilted her head at him, while Misty’s eyes widened further.

              “What did you say?” The Lucario said in an almost flat tone.

              “Please take Misty back into town for the night,” Ash repeated. “I know this isn’t exactly thrilling for her, and I’m not going to ask her to force herself to do something that bothers her so much. She… she doesn’t have to do this for me.”

              Aura nodded slowly, trying to force herself to ignore the swelling of a long-forgotten emotion in her chest. The Lucario walked over to Misty, placing a hand on her shoulder.

              “Misty?” Aura started.

              “Ash, I…” Misty finally found her voice. She turned to Aura. “I’ll need your help… to get down into the tunnel.”

              Ash and Aura started in surprise.

              “You… you said what.” Ash stared at her.

              “Aura?” Misty ignored him.

              Aura gave her an odd, almost sad look before nodding again with a small smile.

              “Of course.”

              They walked over to the tunnel entry, and the Lucario helped the teenage girl into the darkness. The redhead managed to find her grip on the almost invisible ladder rungs, and climbed down into the passage to the Temple.

              “Come on, Chosen One,” Aura said softly, extending a hand in his direction. “You, too.”

              “What?”

              “You _are_ going in, aren’t you?” She asked. After he nodded, she motioned her hand for him again. “Well, come on, then. You’re wasting time.”

              Ash tilted his head in mild confusion for a moment, before walking up to her and accepting her outstretched hand. She helped him down into the tunnel after the others. When he was out of sight, Aura allowed herself a silent sigh. She looked over to the Sage.

              “I will be taking a different entrance,” Hera answered the Lucario’s unspoken question. “You may go on ahead; I shall be sealing the entrance shut once more.”

              Aura sat down on the edge of the tunnel, her feet dangling into the darkness.

              “I… I just need a moment.” She buried her face in her hands. _How… how could they be so much alike, where and when it truly matters most? And why now? Why is he choosing now to… to grow up?_ Aura inhaled slowly, exhaling in a quick burst. “Okay. I’m good for now.” She clenched onto the ladder beneath her.

              Aura threw herself silently down into the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness.


	29. Insect

Silver turned in his sleeping bag, the unrelenting rocks and roots poking out of the ground below woke him again. He sat up.

            Was there any spot he could sleep without something poking him in the back all night long?

            He sighed, before getting out of his bag, and dragging it over to the foot of a nearby tree. He got back into the bag, leaning his back against the trunk of the tree. The bark was rough against his skin, even through his shirt. However, he found that, even after so long, he still slept better in a seated position than flat on his back.

            He draped his jacket across his shoulders like a blanket and closed his eyes and attempted to sleep again. His fingers subconsciously wrapped around the odd, old Pokéball he wore on the chain around his neck.

            He was almost asleep again, when a sharp tugging at his neck jolted him back awake.

            “Wha…?” He murmured groggily.

            A Murkrow had the Pokéball charm in her beak, and was trying to fly off with it. Before he could stop the Pokémon, the clasp of the chain broke, and the Murkrow flew off with its prize.

            Silver cursed bitterly, jumping out of his bag, stumbling slightly in its folds, before dashing after the Murkrow.

            _No, damn it. You can’t have that. I need that. It’s all I have left._

            Silver stumbled over an upturned root, but managed to keep the Murkrow in his sight. The bird Pokémon seemed to be flying leisurely, content in the fact that Silver—as a mere human—could not get at her or the prize she had stolen from him.

            _No!_ Silver thought again. _No! Come back here! I need that. I need that! I can’t lose that. Not now. Not_ now _._

            Not paying attention to where he was going, Silver yelped in pain as he stumbled and tripped over the remains of a rotting stump. He landed face-first into the soft dirt. He cursed again, spitting out chunks of dirt.

            “ _Damn_ it!” He clenched his eyes shut. “Damn! Why am I such an idiot?”

            He balled his hands into fists, and hit the ground with his forehead.

            Something poked at the top of his head. Silver looked up to see the Murkrow standing just in front of him. The necklace chain was still held firmly in her beak. Silver reached out for it, and the bird Pokémon hopped backwards just out of his reach.

            “Give that back!” Silver said. “Please! I can’t lose that!”

            _It’s all I have left._

            The Murkrow chirped happily at him, flapping her wings to hover slightly above the ground.

            “No,” Silver said, shaking his head gently. “No, I don’t want to play. Especially not with that. That’s… that’s very important to me. Please… just give it back.”

            The Murkrow gave a loud caw, landing just to hop up and down repeatedly.

            “Please?” Silver was getting desperate.

            The Murkrow stopped hopping and tilted her head at Silver. Now that she sat still, Silver could tell that this Murkrow was slightly smaller than others of her species.

            “Come on,” Silver said. “If you give it back, I’ll give you some of the food I have back at the camp. Promise.”

            The Murkrow tilted her head the opposite way, before giving another happy chirp.

            Before either of them could move towards or away from each other, a large, black and blue creature dashed out from the undergrowth, grabbing the Murkrow in its jaws. The Murkrow squawked loudly as the Luxio made off with it, dropping the chain before they vanished back into the forest.

            Silver blinked, before stumbling to his feet and walking to his now discarded necklace. Relieved to have it back in his possession, Silver snapped the chain back together and slipped it back on his neck. He grasped the Pokéball that hung from it, giving a deep sigh. He looked over towards where the Luxio had taken the Murkrow. He hesitated, before groaning in frustration.

            “Damn it!” Silver said, running off into the undergrowth after them. He caught up to see the Murkrow struggling to escape; the Luxio’s jaws were clenched shut on her wing, despite the bird Pokémon’s desperate attacks. Silver reached for Red’s Pokéball, only to curse bitterly upon realizing that he had left his belt back at the camp. Instead, he leapt at the Luxio, punching the Electric feline Pokémon on the nose.

            The Luxio yelped in pain, releasing its prey. The Murkrow quickly fled out of sight up into the cover of the trees. Furious at the loss of its meal, the Luxio turned on Silver, jumping up to bite him on the forearm he lifted in reflexive defense. A jolt of electricity ripped through Silver’s body, which went rigid, and his throat refused to let him make a sound. Once the attack ended and he was released, Silver stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. The tingling sensation gradually faded, replacing itself with a dull throbbing in his skull and lower back.

            “Damn… _it_ ,” Silver groaned. He rubbed his head. He gingerly looked around slightly to see that the Luxio had left and would probably not be back.

            A loud chirp rung through his senses, making him bolt upright into a stiff, sitting position. The pounding in his head intensified as the Murkrow returned to land upon it.

            “Hello,” Silver said in a flat tone.

            The Murkrow gave another, much softer chirp before hopping to his shoulder. She gently nuzzled the side of his face with her beak.

            “Yeah, yeah,” Silver said, giving her a light pat on the head. “You’re welcome. I guess.”

            The Murkrow made a soft muttering type of sound, opening and closing her beak dramatically.

            “What?” Silver raised a brow. “Oh, yeah. I guess I did promise you. Come on.” He stood up, the Murkrow staying solidly on his shoulder. “You’re way too comfortable on there, you know.”

            She chattered happily, nuzzling his ear with her beak.

            “Of all the Murkrow in the world,” Silver muttered as he stumbled through the woods back to camp, “I have to find myself stuck with a _cuddly_ one.” _First a Totodile, now a Murkrow. Do I just_ attract _them?_ He tried to ignore the urge to smile—just a little.

            Arriving back at camp, Silver quickly retrieved his pack and pulled out a small tub of Pokémon food. He opened it and offered the contents to the bird Pokémon. She ate from it gratefully, and earned a scowl of disapproval when she nipped at his earlobe affectionately.

            _Why do I get the feeling that I’m not getting rid of you? Guess I’ll have to come up with a name, then._

            After giving an exaggerated sigh, Silver looked away from the Murkrow. Refusing to make eye contact, he reluctantly scratched the underside of her beak. She chirped happily.

            “Huuuuuhn, wha’?” Brendan yawned, half-waking to lazily sit up at look in Silver’s general direction. “What’s that? What’s going on?” He asked rather slowly, his head nodding a few times with the pull of sleep.

            “Nothing,” Silver sighed, before relenting and giving the Murkrow’s head feathers an affectionate ruffle. “Just go back to bed.”

 

…

…

 

“Hey, Misty?” Aura looked over to the pale-faced teenager currently trying to merge her entire body with the Lucario’s arm. “Could you please not rip that off? I’m kinda right-handed.”

            “What?” Misty barked suddenly, jerking on Aura’s arm unintentionally. Aura yelped, causing the teenage girl to flush slightly. “Oh. Sorry. I just…” A loud, clattering sound from beyond the wall behind them caused her to trail off and jerk away from it in horror. Aura yelped again as the action caused another yank on her arm and shoulder.

            “You know what?” Aura sighed, before burying her face in her free hand. “Never mind.”

            “Hey, guys!” Ash bounded into the sparsely decorated room, a goofy grin on his face. “You’ll never guess who I just ran into!”

            “More bugs…” Misty muttered too low for anyone but Aura to hear.

            “I know _one_ bug you’re not afraid of, Misty!” Ash said. The words were hardly out of his mouth when a large blur flew in circles above his head before landing on it.

            “Freeeeee!” The Butterfree gave a cheerful greeting. He had a yellow bandanna wrapped around his neck.

            Misty jerked away in instinct, giving Aura’s arm another sharp tug.

            “It’s my old Butterfree!” Ash said. “You remember Butterfree, don’t you, Misty? You liked Butterfree.”

            “Free!” Butterfree flew to Ash’s outstretched arm. He looked at Misty, before giving another cheerful cry in recognition of an old friend.

            “I…” Misty tried to find her voice, before she gingerly started to reach out towards Butterfree.

            “FREEEE!” Another, pink-colored Butterfree soared in and flew in rapid circles around the room.

            Misty shrieked and turned sharply into Aura, nearly tackling her in a terrified hug.

            “Or, maybe not.” Ash gave his old Butterfree a gentle pat on his head while the bug Pokémon’s mate slowly calmed down. “Maybe this was too much, too soon.” The pink Butterfree landed on Ash’s head.

            “How do I get myself into these things?” Aura mumbled to herself as she tried in vain to peel the teenage girl off of her pelt. “Misty, you’re gonna impale yourself on my chest spike if you keep doing that.”

            “What?” Misty looked up at her. “Oh. Sorry.”

            “It’s fine,” Aura grumbled, looking away pointedly. She turned to Ash. “So, you said this Butterfree used to be on your team?”

            “Yeah. I caught him as a Caterpie at the beginning of my journey, just after Viridian City. He evolved quickly, and I let him go a while later with a bunch of other migrating Butterfree.”

            “That was, what, over six years ago, then?” Aura asked. “He’s acting as if it’s only been a few months.”

            “What does that mean?” Ash asked. “It doesn’t matter if it’s been six years or sixty; we’ll always be friends. Right, buddy?” He gave the bug Pokémon a large grin.

            “Freee!” Butterfree agreed cheerfully.

            Aura tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes. _Always?_

“If you say so,” she said after a long pause. “Where did Pikachu and Nyx go?”

            “I’m not sure,” Ash said with a shrug. “The Sage—what was her name? Hera? She said she wanted to talk to them privately.”

            “That’s weird.” Aura said. She tried again to pull out of Misty’s grip. The teenage girl did not relent; in fact, she seemed to cling even tighter to Aura, muttering under her breath.

            “Hey, Misty,” Ash asked, concern heavy in his voice, “are you okay?”

            “Huh?” Misty looked at him as if he’d only just appeared in front of her. “I’m fine. Fine. Fi-fine. I’m fine.” She made a strange hiccup sound, before muttering to herself. “Bugs.”

            “Chosen One.” A powerful voice announced the arrival of the Sage.

            Ash turned sharply to face the large Vespiquen in the doorway behind him. Hera now wore a large, heavily jeweled collar made of gold with silver detailing. The two Butterfree flew off into the hallway anxiously, as if the Sage’s presence made them uncomfortable somehow.

            “Oh, hey,” Ash said, “can I ask you something?”

            “You apparently don’t need my permission to do so.”

            “What?” Ash blinked. “Never mind. Can… I mean, I think… Misty’s going to go insane here. She’s going to snap if she sees one more Bug. No offense.” He added in a quick, nervous tone.

            “And your point?” She asked flatly.

            “W-Well,” Ash stammered. “She… If she’d be happier, I think she should be able to come with me.”

            “With you? You mean on your Test?” Hera asked. “Absolutely not. It is forbidden for any other human besides the Chosen One to be at any Shrine.”

            “But—!”

            “No, Chosen One. You must take this Test alone,” Hera insisted. “I’m sorry, but it’s the way it must be. She made her choice to endure her fears here. You must now respect that choice.”

            Ash turned and looked at Misty. She was still gripped with terror, glued to Aura’s pelt. The Lucario turned her head to Ash.

            “Have you seen Jerzy?” She asked. “I swear to Arceus, if he’s stealing from my pack, I’m gonna tear his—!”

            “Wait,” Ash said, turning sharply back to Hera. “Where are Pikachu and Nyx? I thought they were with you?”

            “They’re coming.”

            As if on cue, Pikachu suddenly bounded into the room and onto his trainer’s shoulder.

            “Hey, buddy!” Ash said cheerfully. “What’s up?”

            “ _Hera just needed to talk to use about our part in your next Test._ ”

            “But,” Ash looked at the Sage again, “I thought you said I had to take it alone.”

            “You do, Chosen One.”

            “I don’t understand.”

            “Nyx, perhaps you could demonstrate?” Hera motioned behind her.

            The Shiny Umbreon sulked into view from the shadows. He avoided Ash’s gaze.

            “Nyx?” Ash tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

            “…I—I…I’m sorry about this, Ash. Deeply sorry.” He finally looked up, locking his gaze in Ash’s just before the Umbreon’s eyes began to glow pink in a Secret Power attack.

            “What?” Ash blinked a few times, trying to shake the pounding headache that suddenly threatened to pull him under. “Why would you…why…Nyx, wh…?” Ash stumbled forwards, slurring his words. He eventually fell to the ground, his world swirling into darkness.

 

…

…

 

Ash groaned, rubbing his forehead gingerly as he came to.  

            “What hit me?” Ash looked around. He was in an intersection of several, winding dirt tunnels, dimly lit by torches secured to the walls. “Oh, yeah,” he said as the memory came back. “What the hell, Nyx? What’d you do that for?” After a long moment of silence, Ash finally realized that he was alone.

            Suddenly very awake and alert, Ash jumped to his feet. He turned around in sharp bursts, looking about rapidly, determined to find _someone_ there.

            _Ash._

            “Who’s there?” Ash barked, doing a sharp one-eighty. “Where are you?”

            A long silence followed, which Ash broke by clearing his throat. He rubbed his arms nervously for a brief moment before stumbling over to one of the torches mounted on a tunnel wall. He fumbled with it for a few moments, but he eventually managed to remove the torch from the wall.

            Ash raised the torch to light the tunnel closest to him as much as possible.

            _Ash._

            “Who are you?” He yelled down the hallway. “Where are you? What do you want?”

            _Ash…_ The voice echoed in his head. No. _Voices_. There were several voices speaking in vibrating whispers.

            “What do you want?” Ash repeated, a slight edge creeping into his voice.

            _Come…come this way…_

            “Where?” Ash turned around again, moving the torch around rapidly, trying to find the source of the voices. “Where are you? Where do you want me to go?”

            _Come…_ The voices were louder now. _Come, Ash…_ Ash turned about in multiple, sharp bursts, hearing the voices much more clearly when facing down a specific tunnel. Other than this apparent difference, there was nothing else special about the tunnel to separate it from the others.

            “Hello?” He yelled down it. “Are you down there? Who are you?”

            There was a long pause, the silence kept at bay only by the sound of Ash’s heavy breathing. He started to walk quickly down the tunnel the voices seemed to be coming from.

            “I’m coming!” He yelled, unsure if they could even hear him after all.

            He stopped sharply at the sound of water splashing beneath his feet. He almost fell over from his disorientation in the low light.

            “Whoa!” He exclaimed as he corrected his balance. The motion allowed the light from the torch to reveal the sheer cliff mere inches before him.

            Ash yelled, jumping backwards in shock. He slipped on the wet stone and fell onto his back.

            “Holy—!” Ash stared at the apparently endless drop. “That was way too close!” _Wait. That voice! Or voices. Or whatever. They led me down here. They tried to kill me!_ A surge of indignation jolted through his chest as he carefully got back on his feet. _What a terrible thing to do! Those jerks!_

            “But, where do I go?” He asked aloud. He rested his free hand against the stone wall to his left. He leaned his weight into it, only for the stone to give way under the pressure. Shouting again, he fell into the new gap in the wall, and down into a dark chasm. The torch tumbled down after him, illuminating the fall, the firelight reflecting off of a sticky substance on the walls.

            _Damn_ , Ash cursed to himself as he continued to fall. _That’s just wonderful. What the hell is even going on?_

He felt a gentle force gripping briefly at his arms and wrists, letting go almost instantly before grabbing at him in vain a few moments later. He looked over at them to see that they were strains of some sort of sticky, yellow substance, strung between the irregular walls like strands of a spider web.

            _Hey, that might actually be useful!_ Ash grinned. He reached for the falling torch. He didn’t know how much further the shaft went, but he knew he was running out of time. He managed to grab the torch safely, and swung it below him to illuminate the strands below. Honey? Sap? Whatever it was, he reached for one with his free hand. His grip held, and he swung by it towards the wall. Before he could make full contact, however, the strand broke near his hand and sent him downwards again. His sideways momentum still resulted in him slamming against the wall, however, in a sickening, wet sound as the stuff all over the wall splashed around him. He felt his fall slowing by the sensation in his gut lessening, but the substance from the wall splashed onto the torch, dousing the flame and leaving him in utter darkness.

            _Okay,_ Ash thought to himself after the goop covered his face and cut off his air supply. _This is actually kinda disgusting. I really hope I don’t die like this._

            A few moments later, Ash noticed that his stomach had completely settled. The goop had stopped his fall, and he was simply stuck to the wall. On the other hand, he couldn’t breathe, and his chest was starting to hurt. A lot.

            _Break out, and maybe fall to my death, or stay and_ definitely _suffocate to death._

_Ash… come down to us… Ash…_

            _And the voices are back,_ Ash groaned. _Why should I trust you? You almost killed me before._

            _No, we did not. The fall was much shorter than this one, and ended with a series of webbing to slow your fall before dropping you safely in a pool of water._

Ash started to mentally protest, but his chest burned with desperation. He forced himself away from the wall, breaking through the strange substance. Air exploded into his lungs as he felt himself being dragged down through the darkness again. The fall was brief, however, broken almost immediately by the surface of a pool of some sort of cool liquid. Ash swam across its surface until he found the edge. He pulled himself up onto the stone ground and lay back against it, breathing slowly.

            _Okay, maybe I was wrong._

            _Now you trust us._ The voices almost sounded amused.

            “So,” Ash started, picking at the thin coating of the strange substance that still stuck to most of his skin and clothes. “What exactly is this stuff?”

            _You don’t want to know._

            “No, really. Is it honey, or—?”

            _Something similar, in essence. It’s made in a similar manner, and it’s similarly used to feed young Bug types. Beyond that, you don’t want to know._

            Ash realized he had no idea how honey was made in the first place. Other than by Beedrill and Combee, that is.

            _So, it’s edible?_ He mused. He gave his hand an experimental lick—

            —And regretted it instantly. The bitter taste left him coughing and cursing as he searched in vain for something to wash it out with.

            _The pool._ He reached for the liquid, cupping a large amount in his hands.

            _Stop._ The voices warned. _It’s the same thing._

            _But it feels just like water,_ Ash didn’t believe them, pouring it into his mouth.

            He coughed it right out again when he discovered that they had been absolutely right. And now his mouth felt dry and his throat burned, causing his eyes to water.

            _I need water._

            _There’s a small fountain in the Shrine,_ the voices whispered. _Follow us._

            _How?_ Ash asked. _I can’t see a thing._

            _Feel your way around,_ the voices said. _We’ll tell you when you’re going the right way, or the wrong. Trust us._

Ash hesitated.

            _Well,_ not _trusting you has just gotten me into more trouble. What the hell._

            Ash stumbled slowly to his feet and slowly felt around for a wall to keep his hands against for balance. He closed his eyes; there was nothing to see in the darkness anyway, and trying was just giving him a headache.

            _Alright,_ he sighed. _Lead the way._

For several long minutes, the voices whispered directions, leading him through many twists and turns, sloping up and down a few times, and even making him crawl through a few, undersized shafts that he could barely fit through. At one point, he didn’t catch a warning in time, and clunked his head against a drop in the stone ceiling.

            Just when he thought that he would never make it to the Shrine, that the voices really _were_ trying to kill him after all, he felt and saw a burst of bright light through his eyelids.

            _Open your eyes, Chosen One_.

            Ash had never thought he’d be so relieved to see the familiar set up of intricately detailed walls and metal statues he’d gotten so used to over the past few months. But, the greatest relief was what he saw against the far wall, beyond the Orb Statue.

            A simple, carved marble pool of water, with a simple, tall fountain in the center, the spray permanently darkening the golden walls behind it. He laughed enthusiastically as he ran towards it and leapt in. Water splashed everywhere, the sound so loud it was nearly deafening, but he didn’t care. He was just thankful to get a bit of the weird goop off of his skin and clothes, and more than thankful to get that terrible taste out of his mouth. He eventually lay back against the edge of the pool, breathing slowly and deeply, enjoying the cool, stillness of the water.

            “Okay,” he finally said, dragging himself out of the pool. Water dripped in torrents from his clothes and hair. He lethargically circled back around to the front of the room while paying much more attention to his surroundings than before.

            As always, the walls were made of carved stone, or at least appeared to be. This stone had a golden color to it, however, a bit like sandstone, but much brighter in hue. Instead of the usual torches, there were chunks of strange, yellowish-orange crystals of irregular shape and size that glowed with a bright, warm light.

            _Amber, maybe?_ Ash thought to himself, walking up to one and gingerly placing a hand against it. Fortunately, it was cool to the touch.

            He looked over to the corner where he knew a Hikaru statue would be. Unlike the ones he had encountered already, this one depicted the young Hikaru not as a Riolu, but as a Lucario, made of silver. He was standing in an awkward position, as if he’d never stood on his own before. His face was carved with great detail, making his expression clear: he was staring at his own palms with great confusion.

            _Maybe this is what he looked like right after evolving,_ Ash thought. _I wonder how soon after Hikaru’s… after his defeat that the Temples and Shrines were set up, with these Statues._

            Half-curled up slightly behind the statue on Hikaru’s right was a silver statue of a Dragonair, her eyes shut in laughter.

            _The Dratini evolved, too?_

            The statue to Hikaru’s left was that of a human— _the Traitor_ —his hand resting on the Lucario’s shoulder. He was older than before, likely somewhere in his early teens. His face was gentle, his jaw line barely defined beyond childishness, his medium-length hair tied back in a low, loose, short ponytail. He appeared to be wearing long pants, boots, and some sort of long poncho with no sleeves, the metal mimicking the folds of cloth as it draped over his outstretched arm. But, what stuck out most was the warm expression on his face, the light laughter that Ash could almost hear.

            _This is the guy who betrayed Hikaru?_ Ash felt confused. _The Traitor? But, he looks so… good._ He almost hit himself immediately upon thinking it. _What am I saying? Of_ course _he does. That’s how he was able to betray Hikaru in the first place—he trusted him. Yet…_

            Ash stared at the statue.

            _He even kinda looks familiar. Like we could have been friends, or cousins or something._

            Hikaru’s words from before echoed in his mind.

            _Or brothers_ , Ash added with a deep grimace. He turned away from the statues in the corner to face the ones in the middle of the room. In the very center was the main Shrine statue—like the Hikaru statue in the corner, this one was of a Lucario instead of a Riolu, kneeling on both knees, and he held the Orb much closer to his chest. As usual, he was surrounded by appropriate statues of varying metals: Volbeat, Caterpie, Wurmple, Beedrill, Ledian, Heracross, Yanmega, Ninjask, Kricketune, Venomoth, and others. Ash was glancing from each to another when the golden Scizor behind the Shrine statue caught his eye. The Bug Pokémon statue stood in a solid, firm stance, and seemed to stare straight at him, one claw slightly raised. It made Ash recall the statue of the Rhyperior he’d seen in Ground Temple Shrine. However, this one didn’t comfort him; it sent a chill down his spine. He gulped.

            Ash looked at the Orb in the Shrine statue’s hands. _The Bug Orb_. It was a swirl of a sandy brown and a pale, light green, and—as usual—it was a strange mix of transparent and opaque. Ash stared at it for a long moment, flexing and relaxing his hands. Once he was satisfied that his hands weren’t still sticky from… whatever that stuff had been, he walked up to the Orb.

            _Let’s just get this over with,_ Ash inhaled deeply before grabbing the Orb firmly with both hands.

            He slammed his eyes shut almost instantly in response to the usual waves of pain that erupted through his arms to the rest of his body. A flurry of overlapping, unintelligible voices raged through his head.

            _Shut up,_ he thought in response. _Shut up!_

            _Ashura._ A single, powerful voice spoke through the flurry, causing the others to soften drastically in volume.

            _Who are you?_

            _I am the One and All_ , she said in disinterest. _You are but a Part._

_What do you mean?_ Ash asked. The pain had subsided, other than the mild throbbing in his head from the continuous, though muted, flood of voices.

            _You are of little consequence, if you are of any at all._

            _I’m the Chosen One,_ Ash retorted, insulted by her words.

            _You are but a fragment of history that has endured, nothing more, nothing less. Humans with your abilities were once common enough to be of little note. Just as you still are. They simply performed their purpose, using their ability to assist the overall population and—more importantly—to further the goals and follow the commands of those in charge._

Ash’s mind was filled with a series of images, flashing by quickly, with most of the identifiable ones being that of large groups of people and Pokémon moving together. They were so close together and moving in such a uniformed manner, that it quickly became hard to distinctly identify any individual, the images quickly becoming seas of swirling colors. Ash shook his head.

            _But…_

            _Selfishness only ever causes pain._ The voice insisted. _Look at the poachers and rogues who live outside of the constructs laid down by society’s leaders. No, all must work together, in complete unison, under a single voice for guidance._

            _But…_

            _Even villains and brainless idiots are less aimless and far more powerful and useful when united under a powerful leader, when they become simply cogs in a machine, rather than as rogue agents. Look at the Team Rocket you’ve encountered so often. Individually, each Grunt is capable of doing little but disrupting life for small groups at a time. But, unified by a powerful enough leader, and they can carry out complicated and successful operations. They can be an actual threat._

_…That makes sense,_ Ash admitted.

            _Now, imagine that force, that unity, but channeled for a much more… constructive purpose. That is what we must become. This is what you must become a part of. The greater whole. You’ve already seen how combining with others can be of great assistance, if not an outright necessity; you would not have survived your trek through the dark labyrinth behind you if you had not allowed yourself to blend and conform with those who helped guide you here. In fact, defying this almost lead to your death. Twice._

Ash tried to make a reply, but had trouble forming a complete thought with the buzzing of the background voices still in his mind.

            _You are just a part of the whole of this world. This cannot be changed. You must accept this, or perish. Your powers do not change the fact that you are but a single drop of water in the seas. The seas require there to be many, many such drops of water, but in the end, they do not matter individually. They are not special. And neither are you._

Was she right? Ash felt everything becoming fuzzy. Could she be…?

            “Pikapi.” A familiar voice broke the trance.

            _No,_ Ash retorted firmly. _We may be able to do more when we work together, but that doesn’t make us mindless drones. We don’t have to sacrifice who we are, and being a part of a team doesn’t mean you throw away your identity. I am still me, no matter what. I am an individual and I_ am _special. Because I choose to be. I have a_ choice.

_I am Ash Ketchum. I am the Chosen One. I_ choose _to work with my friends, my Pokémon, to better myself. I have_ chosen _to accept my destiny, to help people. I don’t do it because some control freak took over my mind and made me. We may have flaws and mess up, but the very fact that we are all different allows us to make up for that. Our differences make us stronger._

_You are wrong. I will not let this Element control me. I am the Chosen One. This is what I choose._

The voices suddenly stopped whispering in his mind. Before the waves of pain could start again, Ash lifted up on the Orb with all his might, pulling it clean out of the Shrine with a loud _pop!_

Ash fell back onto the floor. He looked at the Orb in his hands.

            _Well, that was…_ Ash’s thoughts trailed off. _Well, at least it didn’t hurt as much this time. And I’m not even tired. I guess this gets easier after a while._ He lifted his left hand, the metal gauntlet flickering into view. The Orb shrunk to a more manageable size and he slid it into its appropriate slot. _That’s seven. Seven total Elements, out of… eighteen? Yeah. At this rate, we’ll be done before my next birthday._ He smiled, looking over to his right.

            “Pikachu?” He blinked at the yellow Pokémon. “How long have you been here?”

            “ _A while. Hera said you would need a guide back through the tunnels to the main Temple areas._ ”

            “Sorry I didn’t notice you before,” Ash said nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

            “ _You did when it mattered most._ ” Pikachu smiled.     Ash ruffled the top of the Pokémon’s head.

            _I… maybe._

            “ _Let’s head back,_ ” Pikachu said, running over to the tunnel entrance. “ _You smell funny and need a bath, anyway._ ”

            “Hey!” Ash said in false indignation. “That’s not my fault! I didn’t know that I’d have to deal with this… weird goop.”

            “ _Just give us a light, will ya?_ ” Pikachu fought back a laugh.

            _What?_ Ash looked at him for a long moment. _Oh._ He remembered, raising his left hand again. He focused on one of the Orbs, and it began to emit a white light. _Flash. Right. That would have been useful a while ago. I need to try to remember these things better._

            “Lead the way, buddy,” Ash said, trying to hide his disappointed scowl as he followed the Electric Pokémon back into the tunnels.

 

…

…

 

“I’m really, really sorry.”

            “It’s okay,” Ash reassured the Shiny Umbreon.

            “For the umpteenth time,” Aura added in a low growl from the corner of the room.

            “Hera said you had to start off totally lost and alone,” Nyx kept rambling, unaware the others had said anything. “We needed an easy, safe way to knock you unconscious while you were taken to—I had to be the one, to make sure you weren’t really hurt! Hera suggested using her Aide to use Headbutt on the back of your skull or something, but I couldn’t let—!”

            “Nyx!” Ash snapped. “It’s okay. Calm down.”

            “You could have been killed!”

            “That’s never been the case before,” Aura said dryly. She tried to adjust Misty’s death grip on her, but the teenager was all but welded to her pelt.

            “Good point,” Nyx relented. “But, this time it would have been my fault.”

            “No, it wouldn’t,” Ash said. “If I had died on the Test, I’d have died whether you helped me get to it or not.”

            “Yeah, he certainly doesn’t need any help getting his ass in trouble,” Aura said with a dark chuckle.

            “What’s so funny?” Ash grumbled.

            “So, where are we going next?” Aura asked.

            “Yeah, isn’t Hera supposed to—?”

            “I asked her to give us space,” Aura interrupted, “to try to… ease tensions.”

            Ash tilted her head at the Lucario in mild confusion. Aura pulled at Misty’s arm, which was wrapped around her neck, to try to adjust the teen’s grip to allow for easier breathing.

            “Oh.”

            “The Ghost Element is next in the cycle,” Nyx supplied. “The Spirit Temple is somewhere in or around Mount Pyre. That’s in Hoenn, unless I’m mistaken.”

            “No, you’re right,” Aura said. “It’s in Hoenn.”

            “Mount Pyre?” Ash asked. “I’ve never been there.”

            “It’s a bit like the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town,” Aura explained. “It’s a burial ground and shrine for deceased Pokémon. Makes sense that Ghosts would be able to gather and hide there. Only the most reckless or outright stupid Trainers are willing to battle there; just being in the mountain’s shadow tends to make most very nervous.”

            “Why?” Ash asked.

            “No clue.” Aura shrugged. “I’ve never been there before.”

            “Neither have I,” Nyx said.

            “ _How will we find the Temple there?_ ” Pikachu asked.

            “I’m not entirely sure,” Nyx admitted. “From what I’ve learned about the Ghost Sage by meeting him at Hikari’s Keep, it seems that the Temple will find _us_ or… something.”

            “That makes no sense,” Aura said. “How can a _place_ find anything?”

            “I don’t know. I didn’t speak to him long. He really unnerved me.”

            “Me too,” Aura agreed. “Though I recall he was one of the Sages who voted to leave me alone, back when I was at the Keep. Which was a pleasant surprise; I would’ve expected him to vote to have me killed.”

            “Some of the Sages wanted to have you killed?” Ash gaped at her.

            “Only a couple,” Aura said. “Most of the… negative votes were to simply chase me out of the territory or to hold me at the Keep until a better decision could be made. And even those only had a couple votes. Most of the Council voted in my favor.”

            “What exactly happened when you were at the Keep?” Ash asked.

            “A lot.” Aura said firmly. “I heavily suggest that we leave first thing in the morning.” Aura pulled at Misty again, but the teen’s death grip was as unbreakable as her blank stare. “You also smell,” she added with glare at Ash.

            “Yeah,” He said nervously. “I fell into… actually, I don’t know—”

            “And I don’t _want_ to know. Just, go take a shower already.” She paused. “And scrub your clothes while you’re in there.”

            “Yes, Mom,” Ash scoffed as he walked out of the room into the Temple hallways.

            “I’m not the mom here,” Aura muttered to herself, absent-mindedly ruffling Misty’s hair. She looked over to her right, where Jerzy had suddenly materialized. The masked Rattata scratched at the back of his neck under her glare. “And wherehave you been?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don’t want to know. Don’t even ask.


	30. Assault

The Scyther sniffed at the thin coating that was now covering most of his body. He gave Silver a look of mild indignation.

            “Don’t look at me like that,” Silver said quietly. “Once you evolve, you won’t have any of this gunk on you anymore; I’ll still have it all over my hands. And I can smell it just as much as you can.” He took another small handful of the Metal Coat from the container and rubbed it onto Red’s exoskeleton. The burning scent filled his nostrils, a strange aroma that made him think of burning firewood and cinnamon, and was extremely overwhelming.

            “I forgot how much that stuff smells,” Brendan said with a light chuckle.

            Silver looked behind him at the grinning teen. He gave Brendan a slight frown, before turning back to Red.

            The Pokémon Center lobby was mostly empty; even the Nurse Joy was in the back giving an emergency treatment to a Pokémon. Besides Silver, Brendan, and Red, the only others in the lobby were a teenage girl in a yellow-and-black baseball outfit and her Meganium. The Trainer and her Pokémon were both watching with a clear distaste for the smell.

            _Oh, shut up,_ Silver scowled. _It’s not like there’s any other way to do this. And Red_ does _seem to_ want _to evolve; he’s not just blindly agreeing to what I ask._

_I think. I hope._

            Finally satisfied with the Metal Coat application, Silver stood up and took a few steps back.

            “So… how does this work now?” Silver asked. “I’ve read about it, but I never really understood how—”

            Silver was cut off by the sudden burst of light as Red began to glow with white intensity.

            “Apparently like that,” Brendan said with a laugh.

            Silver blinked, holding his arm up to shield his eyes from the unusually bright light of the Pokémon evolution. When the light faded, Silver lowered his arms again. The Pokémon he then locked eyes with was no longer a Scyther, but a newly-evolved Scizor.

            “Well, Red,” Silver said, “I guess your name finally suits you huh? How do you feel?”

            Red looked at his new claws, then at his wings, before looking at Silver again. He shrugged.

            “I guess we’ll just have to wait until he can get another training session in, so he can figure out his new body,” Brendan said. “But, we should probably get to Wally, before we miss our flight.”

            “Probably.” Silver nodded. “I’d really rather not—”

            A burst of red light from Brendan’s belt cut the sentence short. A Linoone materialized without a word, and started to bolt and dash about the two teenage boys. The Pokémon’s eyes were wide, and her actions were short and choppy.

            “What is she—?” Silver started, before the Linoone leapt off of Brendan’s shoulder and onto Silver’s. She then threw herself down his shirt. Silver exclaimed in incoherent phrases, writhing around in pain and discomfort at the situation while trying to get the Normal type Pokémon out of his clothes. “Get—!” He managed an intelligible syllable. “Geh—ge-ge-get-get—!” He stumbled backwards into Red, the Scizor gently catching the teenager with his claws. “Get—out!” He finally said through a fit of uncontrollable, half-choking laughter.

            The Linoone finally burst out of his left sleeve and leapt back up on Brendan’s shoulder. She finally sat relatively still there, but continued to twitch and fidget slightly while looking around rapidly. Her face was still wide with terror.

            “What the hell is her problem?” Silver asked, catching his breath.

            “Zippy has… trauma. To put it simply.” Brendan gave her a reassuring scratch on the head, but it didn’t seem to calm her down much. “I rescued her, years ago, from Team Magma back home. They must’ve done terrible things to her, because she’s always been… like this. I keep her with me, because I don’t know anyone I can trust with her who can really handle her.”

            _I’m not sure_ you _even can_. Silver scowled. _Which…is probably the point,_ he admitted.

            Red helped Silver get back on his feet properly.

            Silver looked at Zippy, the Linoone’s eyes locking with his briefly. During that brief time, her body relaxed and she seemed to calm down. The spell, however, was short lived, and she went back to her horrified twitching. Brendan noticed.

            “Huh. That’s weird. She’s never done that for me. Not that easily, at least. And Wally often just makes her worse.”

            Silver was silent for a long moment, looking at Red instead.

            “I’m gonna go wash my hands,” he finally spoke, walking towards the bathrooms. “I should probably get this gunk off before our flight.”

            Brendan watched him walk away, a confused look on the teen’s face. Red simply sighed.

 

…

…

 

“Hey.” The unwanted interruption was accompanied with a kick to the sleeping Pokémon’s side. “Wake up. We need your help.”

            “Go ’way,” Aura grumbled, turning over and curling herself into a tight ball. “Five more minutes.”

            “She adapts rather well,” Ash mumbled from the opposite end of the small, wooden boat. “First, she can’t spend half an hour on board a ship without throwing up. Now, she’s almost impossible to wake up on one.”

            Aura pushed herself up to an awkward kneel. She gave Ash a cold glare from the corner of her eye.

            “You forget,” she growled, “there was a time where quick adaptation was the only thing that kept me from dying.” She turned her body around, to sit with her back leaning against the side of the boat. “What do you need?” She looked up to Misty, who had been the one to kick her earlier.

            “We’re almost there,” Misty said, pointing to something in the distance ahead. The boat was drifting down a wide, calm river. The sky was dark from the thick cloud cover blocking all starlight and moonlight. The only lights they had were the lanterns positioned on either end of the boat, and the distant, purple glow Misty was pointing at.

            “So?”

            “We’re gonna need your help to bring the boat in,” Misty reminded her.

            “I still don’t understand why we couldn’t take one of the public ferries to Mt. Pyre,” Ash said. He unfolded the beaten, yellowed, hand-drawn map for the umpteenth time.

            “If you’d been paying attention,” Aura said, “you’d remember. The Sage gave you that because we can’t take normal transport to Pyre. You’ve already been attacked, and we’re heading to one of the most dangerous Temples. Imagine if a little kid wandered off and followed us to it. Or even just toward it.”

            “Plus,” Nyx added, “the Ghost Element is one of the easiest to corrupt. We can’t risk someone with… malicious intent trying to tail us. Taking a plane to Hoenn is dangerous enough.”

            “C’mon,” Misty said, grabbing Aura’s arm and forcing the Lucario to follow her over the boat’s side and into the shallow side of the river. They grabbed the side of the boat and started to guide it to the bank, towards the source of the purple light Misty had pointed out before.

            “Is this Traitor guy really going to try to do something in public like that?” Ash asked, avoiding Nyx’s gaze to look at Pikachu. The Electric Pokémon was curled up and sleeping, one hand wrapped securely around Jerzy’s tail, the masked Rattata staring at Aura’s pack on the opposite end of the boat.

            “Yes, Ash,” Nyx said. “I think he would. The legends say that he attacked and killed the Sage-King Hikaru in his own throne room. It’s said that he can no longer command the Elements, but he’s still practically immortal and much stronger, faster, and likely smarter than any human.” The shiny Umbreon looked down at his feet. “With seven Elements claimed now, you’re becoming more and more of an irresistible target for him. I suspect he’ll want to try to put you down before you get too powerful.”

            “Put me down?” Ash asked. “What do you mean?”

            Before Nyx could reply, Aura slipped on something in the river bed, stumbling face first into the water. She righted herself swiftly, coughing violently with her pelt fully soaked and dripping.

            “Hey, Chosen Dolt!” Aura said between hacks. “Get over here and help us!”

            “Coming!” Ash said, before vaulting himself over the edge of the boat. The resulting splash further saturated Aura’s pelt, the fur clumped together as torrents of water dripped from it. The Lucario glared at him, but said nothing before returning to her task. Ash muttered an apology before grabbing the side of the boat to join them in guiding it to the source of the purple light: a statue of silvery-blue metal.

            After getting the boat safely onto the riverbank, and lightly securing the vessel with a rope to a stone pole apparently designed for such a purpose, the young group took a good look at the statue. Aura shook the water from her face, to look up at it, inhaling in audible horror at it. It depicted two figures in thick robes, the first standing with one hand resting on the shoulder of the second, which was kneeling. The first figure was almost completely covered in its robes, but its hands—long, skeletal, and clawed—were visible, the free hand grasping a twisted staff topped with a skull. Under its hood, its head was barely discernible as a bird-like skull, the empty eye sockets glowing with the purple fire that had led them to it. The second figure had only the face visible under the cloak’s hood, as Aura approached it, it was undeniably—

            “Impossible!” She breathed. She ran up to it, splashing water everywhere and nearly knocking Ash over in the process. She placed a hand on the acutely detailed face.

            “What?” Misty asked, walking up towards her. “How can this…? How old is this?”

            Aura looked at her. “Do you recognize…?”

            “…Of course,” Misty eventually said, barely loud enough for the Lucario standing next to her to hear.

            _But,_ Aura gaped at her, _that’s impossible._

            “But—!” Nyx started, jumping out of the boat onto the bank. “There’s no way—! So, it’s true, then!” He finally completed a sentence.

            “What’s true?” Ash asked, looking at him.

            “Death’s Embrace,” Nyx said. “It is said that to pass into the Spirit Temple, you must accept Death’s Embrace. I think this is what that means.”

            “I don’t understand.” Ash and Aura’s voices were in unison.

            “Legend has it that this statue will—how did it go?—er, ‘guide lost souls to their home of eternal rest.’ Or, something like that.”

            “You said we have to accept Death’s Embrace, though,” Misty said. “What did you mean?”

            “I’m not entirely sure,” Nyx admitted, “but…. Aura, do you recognize the second figure? The kneeling one?”

            Aura looked at him for a long moment.

            “Yes.” Her voice was barely audible.

            “And, would any of us?”

            “…I really doubt it.” Her tone was flat and emotionless.

            “Then, the legends are likely true, if Misty _does_ recognize it.”

            “Oh, make some damn sense, already!” Aura growled.

            “It’s the statue,” Nyx said. “It… It’s enchanted.”

            “What?”

            “The statue’s face must change shape for whoever is looking at it,” Nyx continued. “I mean, it doesn’t even look like a human to me; it’s kinda jarring against the clearly humanoid body, but that’s part of the point.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash asked.

            “The Ghost Element is secondarily known as the Element of Spirit,” Nyx explained. “It’s basically the Element of Death and the Afterlife; that makes it the Element of the Undead, too. To master it, you must master Death itself.”

            “How do you do that?” Ash asked.

            “I don’t know,” Nyx admitted. “The Dark Element focuses on manipulating emotions, like fear or rage, or to trick the opponent, or just using the Element’s power to sharpen the user’s senses and skills to reach their attacks’ potential. Basically, we require a deeper understanding of the… well, darker side of life, not of death. I guess you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”

            “We’re screwed,” Aura muttered to herself, backing away from the statue.

            “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Ash grumbled back to her. “So, what does that have to do with… this?”

            “Legend has it,” Nyx said, “that the statue of Death’s Embrace shows Death itself guiding someone into the afterlife. And that someone changes depending upon the person looking at the statue to depict the person that would… hurt the viewer the most.” He looked down at his paws. “In whatever way that may be.”

            “Even if they’re dead?” Aura asked in a low voice.

            “I guess.”

            “Do you…?” Misty started. “I mean, is…?” There was no tactful way to phrase it. _Is that person for you_ already _dead?_

            The same pain that ripped through the Lucario’s body whenever she tried in vain to use the power of her namesake awoke in a much duller, more muted, but still just as potent ache just beneath her chest spike. She struggled to keep her lungs functioning.

            “…Yes.” She eventually said.

            “When did…?” Nyx hesitated.

            “I don’t even know.” Aura rubbed at her chest spike.          

            Before anyone could think of something to say to the Lucario, the jolt of a different realization suddenly surged through Ash’s mind.

            “Person?” Ash asked, tilting his head at the Umbreon. “You mean, _one_ person?”

            “Yeah,” Nyx said. “Or, that’s what the legend says, anyway.”

            Ash turned and looked at the statue, narrowing his eyes.

            “What is it?” Misty asked, walking up to him.

            “I see two.”

            Everyone turned and looked at him.

            “Pikapi?” The soft voice announced the Electric Pokémon’s presence.

            _I guess I didn’t notice he hadn’t woken up, yet_. Ash gave Pikachu a scratch behind the ears.

            “Wot’s goin’ on ‘ere?” The crude, still-indeterminable accent preceded the view of Jerzy walking up to the group, lumbering on hind legs in a lethargic manner.

            Aura shook her head with a heavy sigh. “ _Chosen One._ ”

            “What?” Ash looked at her.

            “Never mind.” She shook her head. “C’mon. Let’s finish securing the boat and get going. This thing gives me the creeps.”

            “No argument there.” Ash scratched the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

            Misty looked back and forth between Ash and Aura as the three of them worked together to finish securing the boat, making sure the ropes weren’t going to come undone easily. The two said nothing as they worked in silent cooperation to remove the lanterns from the ends of the boat while Misty and Nyx gathered their packs out of it. Ash and Aura accepted their packs from them, slipping them back on. Aura took both lanterns, lifting them up to illuminate the bank while Ash and Misty worked together to flip the boat upside down near the stone post. Confident that they weren’t going to lose the vessel to the river, they gave confident nods to the others.

            “Here,” Aura said as she handed Ash a lantern.

            “Thanks.” Ash held it up to illuminate the forested area up into the mountain behind the statues. “So, how are we supposed to find the Temple from here?”

            Aura lifted her lantern and started to speak, when something caught her eye. She knelt to the ground holding her lantern to get a better look.

            “This.” She brushed a small, smooth purple gem that had glistened in the lantern’s light. She looked up and ahead. “There.” She pointed. “There’s another one in the ground up ahead. I’m betting there’s a whole series of them in the ground, from this statue to one of the Temple’s entrances.”

            “You think?” Ash asked sincerely.

            “It’s worth a shot.”

            “Isn’t that too easy?” Misty asked. “I mean, wouldn’t a trail like that be obvious? Anyone could follow it.”

            “If it’s short, maybe not,” Nyx said. “I mean, people tend to stay away from this statue; there are apparently some obscure human legends about it.”

            “I don’t blame them.” Aura looked at the statue again, her ears pressing back against her head. “That thing gives me the creeps.”

            “ _To put it mildly_ ,” Pikachu added.

            “I guess we might as well follow them, then,” Ash concluded.

            “Then lead the way, already, O Chosen Dolt,” Aura said.

            “Okay,” Ash said as he started to follow the sparkling stones at a brisk pace. _Anything to get me away from… from that._

            “Misty,” Aura said in a hushed tone to catch the teenage girl’s attention.

            “What?” Misty walked over to her.

            “I need to look in my pack for something. Could you take my lantern and go help Ash follow the trail?” She paused, giving a light smirk. “Besides, I don’t think we should leave all our navigation to him, do you?”

            “Good point.” Misty chuckled, taking the lantern from the Lucario. She ran up to walk beside Ash, shedding more light on their path.

            Aura slowed her pace for a moment to fall behind, just out of earshot of their lowered voices. Her face sobered for a moment before she allowed herself a sad smile.

            “What did you need out of your pack?” Nyx asked her so only the Lucario could hear.

            “Huh?” She looked at him. “Oh. N-nothing.”

            “You lied?”

            “I guess.” Aura shrugged.

            “Why?” Nyx asked. When Aura didn’t respond, he looked at Ash and Misty. The teens were laughing quietly together at some joke or another. The Shiny Umbreon tilted his head, slowing his pace for just a moment before jolting to catch back up with Aura. “Are… are you playing matchmaker?”

            “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Aura’s voice was level and held a tone of disinterest.

            Ash and Misty suddenly stopped, the others catching up a moment later.

            “What’s up?” Aura asked them.

            Ash motioned ahead of them with his lantern.

            A Misdreavus emerged out of the shadows before them.

            “I am Vesna,” she spoke in a dark voice.

            “I’m—” Ash started.

            “I know who you are, Chosen One,” she interrupted. “We are aware of who all of you are. The young Elemental Lord, his friend the Water Element Trainer, a rather powerful Pikachu, the son of Elder Sage Zyne, the small thief and deserter, and, of course, Hikari’s broken charge.”

            “Elemental Lord?” Ash asked.

            “Broken?” Aura snapped before the Misdreavus could answer. “What the hell is that supposed to—?”

            “The Sage and I can see your spirits,” Vesna interrupted again. “It is how we know intruders from expected friends. It is how I can be sure of your identities. It is how I know you are Bound to a broken aura, which has in turn damaged your own.”

            “What does she mean?” Misty turned to look at Aura. “What does all of that mean?”

            Aura raised her hand to keep the lantern light from blinding her. She exchanged a brief glance with Pikachu, hoping that the humans wouldn’t notice.

            “It’s a long, complicated, and sad story,” she eventually muttered. “And it’s one I don’t really feel comfortable telling.” _How… how can I? It would just cause more pain and suffering._

            “Aura…”

            “Just… don’t.”

            “If I may,” Vesna spoke, “we ought to continue into the Temple immediately. These woods are not safe tonight.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash asked.

            “The living weapons of the Twisted One have been quite active in Hoenn for three nights now. They are hunting something, or someone. We fear they are hunting you, Chosen One.”

            “The Returned?” Nyx asked.

            “The same.” Vesna started to float away. “Come. The Sage has many questions for you before you rest for the night.”

            Ash and Misty looked at each other briefly before following after her. Nyx quickly bounded after them.

            Aura looked around. She rubbed at her chest spike anxiously, before readjusting her pack’s straps and dashing off after the others.

 

…

…

 

“Prince, return!” Brendan said, as the Rapidash dissolved into a bolt of red light towards the Pokéball.

            “Would you like a rest, too?” Silver asked Red. The teenager was kneeling next to the Scizor, the latter lying on the ground, slightly shaken from the battle.

            Red shook his head, slowly standing up in defiance of his defeat.

            Silver gave a short laugh, sounding more like a soft cough.

            “If you insist.”

            “He’s already much faster than he was as a Scyther,” Brendan pointed out. “He was almost able to keep up with Prince, and I’ve been focusing on his agility for years, ever since he was a Ponyta.”

            _Yeah,_ Silver thought as he stood back up, brushing his knees off. _I have a feeling that my father had him specially trained for years, either for his own use or for mine when I joined the Team—like I ended up doing, for God knows what reason._

_Either that, or Red was just another genetic experiment to create more powerful Pokémon._

His thoughts were cut off by Fang leaping up onto his shoulder and on top of his head. The Totodile lay on top of his trainer’s head, the Pokémon’s arms, legs, and tail hanging as loosely as the human’s long hair.

            _Did I say you could do tha—?_

            Fang gurgled a happy tune.

            _I guess you can stay there._ Silver scowled, looking down at the ground.

            “Your dad _does_ know we’re meeting him _here_ , right?” Wally asked. He was sitting cross-legged on a stump a couple yards away from the clearing they’d battled in. The green-haired teenager was thumbing back and forth through a book, occasionally marking some note or other in the margins with an extremely miniscule pencil. “You made it clear we weren’t meeting up _in_ Slateport, right?”    

            “Yes, Mom,” Brendan said with a light chuckle. He looked behind him at the sun sinking beneath the trees in the distance. “They should both be arriving any moment.”

            “How do you know?” Silver asked.

            “Oh, please tell me you’re kidding.” Wally looked up from his book. Before Brendan could respond, Wally’s face lit up in recognition for a moment before he gave an irritated sigh. “No, they really are. Lord, give me strength.” He closed the book in one hand and stood up.

            “Am I missing something?” Silver asked, narrowing his eyes and looking back and forth between the two teenage boys. The motion caused Fang’s tail to sway from side to side, the sound of the limb against his hair filling Silver’s ears.

            Silver tensed at the sudden sound of an engine roaring at an alarming volume. He turned around rapidly, causing Fang to slide off of his head and grab onto his shoulder.

            “What the hell?” He yelled.

            A jeep burst into view, ramping off of a nearby outcrop of stone. The vehicle made its rocky landing mere yards away from the teenagers, and swerved violently to avoid them. It drove in a large circle around them a few times before lurching to a stop.

            “Dad!” Brendan turned towards the driver, waving both arms in an extremely enthusiastic manner.

            “Brendan!” A slightly wide-set man with brown hair and a short beard leapt out of the jeep towards him. The Professor was wearing a dark T-shirt, tan shorts and loose sandals under his white lab coat. Upon reaching him, the tall man wrapped his son in a bear hug, lifting Brendan up in the air.

            Silver raised an eyebrow.“Okay, then.”

            “You get used to it,” Wally said with a sigh. “Hello, Professor Birch,” he added in a louder voice.

            “Wally!” Birch gave the teen a large grin and wave. “Who’s your new friend?”

            “Dad, this is Silver!” Brendan said, placing a hand on Silver’s free shoulder. Silver shot him a glare upon the physical contact, but no one seemed to notice.

            “Silver, eh? Wonderful to meet you!” Birch said, before offering a hand. After Silver reluctantly shook it, he tilted his head at the boy. “You know, you seem kinda familiar. Have we met?”

            _Birch, Birch, Birch…_ Silver’s mind kicked into overdrive. _Yes. My father met him when I was, what? Eight or so? There was some issue with Devon, and he had to bring me along._

_God. Please don’t let him remember that was me._

            “Probably not,” Silver said quickly. “I didn’t get to leave home much until a couple weeks ago. Visitors always seem to find me weirdly familiar, though. Guess I just have one of those faces.”

            Birch looked at him for a long moment.

            “I guess so.” Birch turned to the jeep. “Joshua! Aren’t you gonna come say hello?”

            _He bought it?_ Silver fought to keep a straight face. _He’s a world-renowned Professor, particularly for his fieldwork. There’s no way he should have accepted such a weak-ass cover like that so easily._  

            “If I try to stand up,” the young, green-haired, bespectacled scientist said with a nervous wave, “I may end up losing my dinner.”

            “Sorry about that,” Birch said with a nervous chuckle. “Shall we get going?”

            “Absolutely!” Brendan practically bounced towards the jeep with his father. The teen stopped and half-turned to the others before speaking. “Are you guys sure you don’t want to come?”

            “Yeah,” Wally said. “Actually, I just thought of something I want to look up in town.”

            “Silver?” Brendan looked at the quiet teen.

            “I think I’ll stick around here and maybe get some more training in.”

            “Okay, then!” Brendan said cheerfully as he leapt into the jeep’s backseat. “See you guys tomorrow night!”

            “Have fun.” Wally gave a short wave.

            Brendan just laughed before the jeep’s engine roared to life once more. The tires squealed briefly before the vehicle charged across the clearing towards the forest and out of sight.

            “Remind me to never get in a car with either of them.” Silver helped Fang regain his balance on the teen’s shoulder.

            “You can count on that,” Wally said in a flat tone. “See you in the Pokémon Center at curfew?”

            “Sure.” Silver shrugged.

            Without another word, Wally turned around and walked towards Slateport.

            Silver looked at Fang.

            _Well, I know where Brendan gets it from, now._

            He walked across the clearing, Red keeping close behind. He eventually stopped in front of a large stump; it was similar to the one Wally had been sitting on earlier. Silver looked at Red.

            “I probably should do some training, huh?”

            The Scizor shrugged.

            Silver turned around, looking at the sunset. The last rays of red were beginning to dive beneath the distant trees and out of sight. He slowly sat down, leaning back against the stump. Fang moved from Silver’s shoulder, choosing to curl up on the teenager’s chest, instead. How he was able to stay balanced there, Silver didn’t know; the young Trainer was barely in a reclined position.

            “Alright,” Silver said softly, closing his eyes. “But, just this once.”

            _I just realized: I’ve never been so far away from home before._

            Silver snapped his eyes open again at the sound of a metallic clap. He sat up rigidly—knocking a sleeping Fang to the ground—and glanced around in a sharp, rapid manner. It was pitch dark, with only the distant lights of the city to give any illumination. Sitting cross-legged on the stump behind him was Red; it was the snap of his claws that had woken the boy.

            _I fell asleep,_ Silver realized. He pulled out a beaten pocket watch from his jacket, squinting to read it. _And it’s passed curfew._ He replaced the watch. _Wally’s gonna be pissed._

            Red snapped a claw again.

            “What is it?” Silver asked, rubbing at his eyes. He stood up slowly—his knees didn’t want to cooperate—and Red walked over to him in a protective stance. “What’s wrong?” Silver was starting to get rather concerned.

            Silver felt something pull at his pant leg. He looked down to see Fang holding onto it, the Totodile wrapped around his trainer’s leg.

            “What?” Silver knelt down to talk to him directly. He took off his jacket, wrapping it around the small Water Pokémon. “Are you cold?”

            Fang shook his head.

            “Are you scared?” After Fang nodded multiple times hastily, Silver continued: “What are you scared of?”

            Red snapped his claw again, pointing with it towards the tall grass between them and the forest. Silver stood up, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see what the Scizor was motioning to. Something was moving in the grass, but Silver couldn’t make out—

            A large, bipedal figure leapt from the shadows of the grass, soaring over their heads and landing on the other side of the stump from them.

            Silver stood, half turning to look at it.

            “A Dodrio?” He was confused. _Here?_

            Then, even in the poor light, he got a better look at it.

            “That’s not a Dodrio,” he breathed. _At least, not anymore._

            The Returned Dodrio’s three pairs of eyes all burned with the same glowing, dark red as the Returned Houndoom Silver had faced before. Its three heads were identical: dark, muddy brown, splotched with black, and the feathers were of irregular lengths and unkempt. The long, black top feathers on each head were over twice as long as a living Dodrio’s, and instead of just the two feathers per head, each head had a mane of the long feathers. The beaks were long, slightly curved near the sharp tips, were colored a dark brown, and had irregularly serrated edges. The spines of the three, bony necks were lined with speckled, dark grey plating. The body was similar to the heads, though with a series of large spikes running down the spine from the base of the neck to the tail, which consisted of long, draping black feathers marked with a swirling pattern of dark red. The beast’s dark red legs were covered in patches of seemingly random dark grey plating, and the long, black claws were jagged and dripping in… something.

            _Blood from an earlier kill?_ Silver mused as he placed himself between the monster and Fang. Red then placed a protective claw in front of his Trainer. _Or is it poison? Either way, it’d probably be a really bad idea to let those things get anywhere near us._

            _And here I thought I’d escaped this madness._

            The middle head looked at Silver, locking gazes for a moment. It tilted all three heads, and a swirl of goldenrod flickered in the center pair of eyes. The demonic creature then opened all three mouths and let out a loud, echoing bellow that hit Silver’s ears with pulsating agony.

            Silver clenched his head, falling to his knees with the pain that hammered on his skull. He yelled out; he tried to keep a lid on the boiling rage building in his chest. It urged him to grab his sword and charge the beast, to slice right through the three necks with the blade. Silver shook his head.

            _No. No, it would kill me with those talons before I even got close enough. Or, worse._

            The pain dulled to a minor headache as the beast stopped roaring. Silver opened his eyes, struggling to his feet again. Before he could fully regain his balance, the monster opened all three beaks to spew bursts of black flame directly at him.

            Silver hardly had time to raise his arms in self-defense, before Red pivoted sharply, placing himself between the teenager and the attack. The Scizor’s back was pushed back into the human’s torso from the force of the blast. The impact emitted a large burst of purple light, illuminating a large area around them.

            “RED!” Silver finally found his voice. “NO!”

            There was a loud, squawk, and the barrage of flames ended suddenly. Silver caught Red as he fell to the ground.

            “Red!” Silver said. “Are you okay? Say something!”

            The Scizor placed a claw on top of his Trainer’s hand and nodded once with a slight smile.

            “Right,” Silver said, recalling Red to his Pokéball. “I’ll get you to a Center as soon as possible.” He placed the ’ball on his belt. “I just hope I make it in ti—what?” Silver cut himself off.

            The Returned Dodrio had stopped attacking because it had been attacked. Even as he watched, the monster was preoccupied with a series of Shadow Ball attacks from a Haunter. The Pokémon was nearly half the size of the average member of its species, a few inches shy of three feet in height. This seemed to allow the Haunter more agility, however, as it floated nimbly around the Returned without needing to phase in and out of vision or teleport about.

            _Why would it help me? Look at it; there’s no way that it’s strong enough to handle this alone._ He sighed. _Suppose I ought to help him out, too, then._

            He pulled the Moon Ball and Dusk Ball off of his belt, tossing them to send out their inhabitants.

            “Venom! Gwen!” He yelled. “Sludge Bomb! Night Shade!”

            “NIDO!” The Nidorino spat a large chunk of purple gunk at the Returned Dodrio.

            “MURRRRR!” A black beam of energy fired from the Murkrow’s eyes, hitting the fiend square on the chest.

            _You won’t take me by surprise again, you bastards!_

            Silver found his backpack on the ground nearby the stump. Next to it was his grandfather’s sword; he drew it from the sheath, and twirled it once as he took his stance and prepared to join in.

            An unseen force barreled into his back, knocking him face-first to the ground. Silver cursed bitterly as he spat out a chunk of earth. His mouth was filled with the taste of dirt and blood. He stood up and turned to face the new attacker.

            He cursed again.

            Another Returned—this one had once been a Grumpig—stood mere inches in front of him. The beast’s ears were long and covered in a long coat of fur, and a set of horns protruded from the skull where there had previously been pearls. Under the mutated, misshapen snout, a pair of long tusks was easily visible. Its body was covered in an irregularly long coat of black fur with random patches of dark reds and purples. Its arms and legs were disproportionately long and thick, and the claws on its hands and feet were much shorter than the Returned Dodrio’s talons, and were dark crimson in color, but they were just as jagged and sharp.

            The monster charged him again. Silver raised his sword in time to parry the claws. But, the force of the attack knocked him to the ground. Silver’s raised sword—locked with the beast’s claws—was the only thing keeping the Returned’s tusks from his face. Even then, each furious snap of those jaws closed mere inches from his nose. He could smell the rotten flesh on its breath. Silver struggled to keep from vomiting.

            _Damn it! Where’s Fang?_ His mind raced, as the throbbing ache erupted into intense pain again. _Where… how… what do I…?_

_Give in,_ the velvet voice whispered. _Allow your rage to wash over you. Take it, use its strength. Let it grant you the strength to defeat you foes with your own hands._

            _I…_ Silver hesitated.

            Before he could make a decision, the Returned Grumpig was knocked back by a black beam. Silver leapt to his feet, glancing to the side to see the Haunter.

            _Saved my ass again. Gonna have to thank him somehow. Assuming I still survive this._

_One of these freaks is hard enough to survive a fight with. Two? I’m probably screwed._ He tightened his grip on his sword. _But, I’ll be damned before I go down without a fight!_

            “Hey, Haunter!” He yelled. “Wanna help with a Dark Pulse?” He charged at the Returned Grumpig.

            “HAAAAUNT!” The Haunter fired a beam of purple circles from its right hand at the Returned.

            Just as the attack ended, Silver leapt and brought down his sword in a powerful strike at the fiend’s skull. The Returned blocked the attack with its claws at the last moment. It snarled in fury at the teenager.

            Silver spat a furious curse at it.

            As if insulted by the words, the Returned made a low, growl-like sound as its eyes glowed a dark purple color.

            Silver felt himself being lifted into the air by the telekinetic power. Then, he was thrown back to the ground. He used a nearby stone as a brace to lift his head up. He saw the Returned use the attack again. Both his Pokémon and the wild Haunter were pinned to the ground.

            _No! You bastards!_

            A soft sound ripped through the air. It pierced his chest with a cold pain—a timid gurgle.

            _FANG!_ With great effort, Silver was able to twist and contort his body to see the Totodile. He was still wrapped up in the Trainer’s jacket against the stump. He was paralyzed with terror. The now-unoccupied Returned Dodrio turned all three heads to face him. The feathered monster took a few slow steps in his direction.

            “ _NO_! _DAMN YOU_!” Silver bellowed. He threw himself at Fang. He wrapped himself around the small Pokémon. He didn’t care that his back was now exposed.

            Silver yelled out in agony as the strike of a set of three talons raked his back. Pain seared through him. It surged through every cell from those wounds. Silver’s mouth was filled with the taste of blood. He coughed violently.

            _Not… Fang._ He tightened his grip on the Totodile.

            He tried to exhale. He vomited up blood instead.

            The talons struck his back again. Silver made a loud choking sound.

            _Damn it. I’m going to die._

            _Silver…_ the velvet voice whispered.

            “NOW!” A voice exploded around him.

            Silver felt a sudden wave of heat above him. The Returned Dodrio squawked in pain. Silver looked up.  Purple flames dissipated just above his head.

            _Dragon Pulse_ , he knew this one. _Have…have you come for me, then?_

He heard a strange, high-pitched cry.

            _No, wait. That’s not…_

            “What the fu—!” Silver started, attempting to lift his head up to face his rescuer. “Wally?”

            The green-haired teenager was standing a few yards away, the rage on his face clear, even in the darkness. Next to him were a large Flygon, a Gardevoir, and a Grovyle.

            “Wally,” Silver breathed. “Thank the—!”

            “Get down!” Wally yelled over him. Silver quickly obeyed as Wally continued to shout. “Archie! Dragon Breath! Palmer, use Leaf Storm! Ruby, get that annoyance off of our friends with a Psychic of our own!”

            The first two attacks struck the Returned Dodrio, sending the monstrosity flying back into the tall grass. With the third, the Returned Grumpig was lifted into the air, glowing in a purple light, before it was flung back down to the ground—hard. The tusked fiend made a high-pitched squeal of pain that quickly evolved to a bellow of anger. The Returned scratched at the ground with both sets of claws, preparing to charge.

            “Hyper Beam.” Wally’s voice was level, but didn’t disguise his anger.

            All three of the Trainer’s Pokémon unleashed a beam of orange-yellow energy on the Returned. The force of the triple attack sent the monster flying, its form shrinking into the distance. The Returned Dodrio peeked one head out of the tall grass at them. Wally glared at it.

            A flash of yellow flickered in the dark red eyes. The Returned Dodrio withdrew its head. There was the sound of movement, which grew more and more distant; it had decided to run away.

            Silver looked up. The coast was clear, with Wally kneeling next to him. Wally helped Silver to sit up, if in a somewhat awkward position.

            “Re…return,” Silver managed to say, raising the two Pokéballs to recall Venom and Gwen. “Are… you okay?” He asked Fang, who was still clinging to the front of his shirt. The Totodile looked up at him, giving a slow nod. He was quite shaken and scared for his Trainer, but Fang was otherwise unhurt. Silver sighed in relief. He looked at Wally. “Wild… Haunter… tried to help. Heal Ball… in pack… will help him. Then… can get him… to Center. Red… needs healing… too.”

            “First,” Wally said, grabbing the Ball from Silver’s pack and tossing it towards the Haunter, “we need to take care of _your_ wounds. Can you take your shirt off?”

            “Pardon?” Silver blinked at him.

            “If we do not dress those gashes on your back and get some bandaging on them, you will bleed out before we can get you to a hospital.” Wally recalled his Flygon and Grovyle—leaving the Gardevoir out—and pulled a small, metallic box out of his own pack. “If you cannot get it off yourself, I will have to cut your shirt off. I cannot dress the wounds through it.”

            Silver gently removed Fang from the front of his shirt, placing the Pokémon gently on the ground. He bit down on his bottom lip, before raising his arms and pulling his shirt up over his head and discarding it on the ground near Fang. The motions caused a series of stinging pains to surge up and down his back from the gashes. He managed to bite back the bellow of pain he wanted to give, settling for a low moan.

            “Lay on your stomach,” Wally said flatly. Silver obeyed as he continued. “First, I’m going to have Ruby do what healing she can to the wounds. It will likely lower the severity; it can only do so much to stop the bleeding. Considering where the gashes are, and how many you have, you’d still bleed to death if we don’t bandage them and get you to the hospital. Ruby?”

            “Gaaaardevoir!” The Gardevoir chimed.

            Silver felt a cooling sensation on his back, and the pain from the wounds lessened greatly. Now, all he felt from them was a mild stinging sensation.

            “The wounds were actually rather shallow,” Wally continued, “considering the length of that monster’s claws. So, Ruby was able to help a lot more than I thought she would. However, this is still literally a bloody mess, and we can’t take a risk this big. You still need a doctor.” Silver heard Wally rummaging through the metal box. “Now, I’m going to apply an ointment on the wounds, to help stop the bleeding and prevent infection, before I bandage them. That should last us until we can get you some real help.”

            “I…” Silver started, but hissed in pain as Wally started to apply the cold ointment.

            “Yeah,” Wally said. “It might sting a little.” After a few short minutes, Wally seemed satisfied with the job he’d done. “Now, sit up.” Silver obliged—moving was much easier now—and Wally began to immediately wrap a long strap of linen bandaging around Silver’s torso, starting just above the line of his pants.

            “You know, I can—”

            “Hush,” Wally said. “You’ll break my concentration.”

            “How did you know I needed help?” Silver had to know. “You arrived just in the nick of time, and were completely ready to go.”

            “After getting Nurse Joy to delay curfew for another fifteen minutes to see if you showed up, I saw a news report on the lobby TV. There have apparently been some disappearances of young Trainers and strange attacks throughout Hoenn on occasion for the past couple of months. I decided to not take chances. Glad I did, too, or I’d have never gotten my questions answered.”

            “What questions?”

            “Well, let’s just say I ran into something in Slateport earlier today that got me thinking, and I finally figured out why it bothered me so much. So, I spent the past couple of hours researching, and making sure my gut was right.”

            “About what?” Silver repeated.

            Wally finished the bandaging, pinning it shut with a small, metal clip.

            “I was just wondering why the Kanto Region Baron, Lord Giovanni Zolton is refusing to address rumors of his son’s disappearance. Or, why half of his staff is offering huge rewards for even just solid proof of sightings of him.” Wally walked around Silver to glare straight into the kneeling teen’s eyes. “Or, how about why _The_ _Honorable Silver Zolton_ would be traipsing around the world with two young strangers, carrying an heirloom sword everywhere, and claiming to have run away from an abusive home.”

            _Shit._

            “First, however, we’re going to carry you into town for help and rest. And on the way there, you’re going to tell me why the hell you’ve lied to us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically, Grovyle can’t use Hyper Beam, just Sceptile. Artistic license or something, I guess.


	31. Spirit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this chapter, until further notice, I have switched Betas (while my current one deals with graduation and starting grad school and such). While both Betas worked on this chapter to some capacity, next one will be entirely edited by the new one. But, as usual, if you catch a grammatical error or some such, please let me know, so I can go back and fix it. (I would give my temporary Beta a shoutout by name, but he did not inform me of his AO3 alias, so I can't.) Either way, updates should start up again here, now.

Steam hissed from a pipe into the face of the large Lucario as he quickly walked through the dimly lit hallway. A smaller Lucario followed, taking two steps for each of her predecessor’s, just to keep up

            Surrounding them were the cold grays of the brick hallway, patterned with various piping systems. The deep sound of high-pressure air hissed through some of them. Above, a few hanging lamps flickered, illuminating her path irregularly as she traveled down the hall. The smaller, younger Pokémon pulled on her loose, pale lavender cloak, readjusting it around her shoulders. She returned her gaze to the Lucario walking ahead of her, his form cloaked in black.

            “Father,” she said in a low voice. “Are you sure about this? Shouldn’t you remain at your post? Things are getting worse with—”

            “I can’t save him, Aura,” the figure cut her off. “It’s all I can do to contain the damage as best I can. It’s bad enough that the project is complete, but now it’s loose. We could have a slaughtering rampage on our hands.”

            “Father?”

            “They wanted a Pokémon that was a living weapon of unstoppable force.” He stopped, and Aura halted just behind him. The older Lucario turned slightly to glance at his daughter from the corner of his eye. Anger was clear in his expression. “They got one.” He turned back and continued walking. “We have to get a warning out.”

            “But,” Aura started with a leap to keep up with her father, “I thought you disbanded the… team. I thought that you broke off all communications. I saw you smash the devices and computers with your bare hands.”

            “All but one,” he admitted. “I had to leave an out. In case the three of us had to escape. Or… the two of you.”

            “Father, what are you saying?” Aura blinked.

            “I’m probably getting ahead of myself again,” he continued, “but I have set up a method of escape. If anything is to happen that the two of you are in mortal peril of any sort, and there’s nothing I can do to protect you, then you are to take him and get out. Our last contact has set up a sanctuary in Orre, in the Under, where you can lay low for a few years until the situation is contained again.”

            “What—?”

            “You are to take him to the abandoned warehouse near Mount Moon, the one between Pewter and Cerulean. There’s a small plane there; you have the minimal knowledge to fly it into Johto, and hopefully into Olivine. From there, you’ll use the emergency funds to buy passage to Orre, to Phenac. Our contact would take care of things from there.”

            “Contact?” Aura repeated as her father stopped briefly to open a door. She followed him inside. “Phenac? You don’t mean—?”

            “I do,” he said, grabbing at a chain to turn on the dim lamp. The room was filled with boxes, scattered papers and various piles of junk. Resting on top of one pile of metal boxes was a beat-up, old laptop, the screen cracked in the upper left corner, and a long, white device plugged into one side. The older Lucario booted it on, fiddling with the attached device to boost the signal as he made a video call.

            The fuzzy image of a teenager with short, purple hair flickered on the screen.

            “Arcanus?” The teen spoke. “I didn’t think we’d—I’d ever hear from you again.”

            “Justy!” Arcanus breathed. “No, we thought…never mind. Where is your father? It’s urgent.”

            The teen’s face fell and he looked away. A ribbon of static flickered over him for a few moments.

            “Gone.”

            “Gon—oh.” Arcanus sighed, placing his face in one hand. “Cipher?”

            “I don’t know.”

            “Damn it. I’m terribly sorry, Justy.”

            “Dead?” Aura asked.

            “…Yes.”

              _Why is everyone I know dying?_

 _At least,_ a voice whispered in the back of her skull, _at least… this one isn’t your fault._

            Aura shook the memory of the explosion out of her mind

            “Well,” Arcanus continued. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to give my proper condolences, or for grief. As much as I wish we did. We have a situation on our hands. I suppose that this now falls to you.”

            Justy hesitated for a long moment, before giving a solid nod.

            “The first thing you need to understand is the Arcanus Project as a whole, and why I’m named for it.” Arcanus adjusted the wireless adapter device again, improving the video quality somewhat.

            The door burst open with a loud noise.

            “ARCANUS!” The intruder yelled in alarm.

            “WHAT?” The larger Lucario turned sharply to face him, while Aura stumbled backwards to the ground in her surprise.

            The man in the doorway wore a torn Rocket uniform, his short, dark hair in complete disarray, his ragged tuft beard stained from the blood dripping from his broken lips.

            “Petrel?” Arcanus asked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

            “It’s Proton!” He yelled, holding on to the doorframe for support as he tried to breathe through the blood in his mouth. “I tried to stop him, but—!”

            “What is that sick bastard up to now?” Aura leapt back to her feet, brushing herself off. “I thought that _your boss_ threatened to personally put a bullet in his head if he toed the line again.”

            “I hope he does this time,” Petrel said. “It’s… it’s him. Little punk must’ve looked at Proton or something, and the bastard just started beating him to death with his whip.”

            Arcanus looked at his daughter.

            The expression of shocked revelation on her face slowly degraded to an enraged snarl, one that almost hid the tears forming in her eyes.

            “ _Damn him_!” She growled. “ _I’ll rip his throat out!_ ”

            Aura reached out with both her mind and her life energy, using both the Psychic Element and her Aura-based powers to mentally lock onto Proton’s current victim.

            “Aura!” Arcanus barked. “Don’t do—!”

            She ignored him, leaping towards the doorway. She managed to Teleport just before she collided with Petrel. She felt the world around her distort and twist. Her stomach churned and her skull threatened to burst. The swirling colors stopped suddenly, and the world came back into proper focus.

            Aura took a moment to take in her surroundings. As she had expected, she was in a rather aristocratic house—the dining room, she assumed, from the china cabinets lining the wall and the utterly smashed, dark wood table and chairs that lay in a pile at one end. A low, warm light came from the wall lamps, the pale grey shades of those nearest the table debris were speckled with overlapping blood splatter.

            His blood.

            Amidst the broken chunks of wood, Aura could make out the shape of someone trapped beneath it. A small puddle of blood was oozing out from the still form into full view.

            Aura half turned to give a hard stare to the figure behind her.

            The tall, lean man wore a black Team Rocket uniform, not wholly unlike those of a common Grunt, but with a popped collar and minor yellow accents, as well as white gloves and boots accented with red. His belt was made up of several silver compartments linked together, minus a simple leather loop at the side for the whip currently gripped in his right hand. His disheveled, short blue-green hair framed his face, which—along with his torso—was splattered with small speckles of blood.

            “Ah, Arcanus’s whelp,” he said with a sneer. “Should’ve known you freaks would stick together. Punk had it coming.” He flexed the whip in his hands.

            “ _Proton_ ,” Aura breathed.

            She leapt at him, grabbing his predominate wrist and twisting it back. The action caught him off guard, and he tensed in an involuntary reaction. With her free hand, Aura swiped down at his face, her spike gashing across his eye. Blood flew from the force of the strike onto her own face. Proton yelled. She released him, satisfied that he’d be preoccupied with his wound for the moment.

            She turned back, throwing herself at the broken wood in the other end of the room. She grabbed at the wood, tossing each piece carelessly behind her until the figure’s top half was almost completely unburied.

            _He’s not moving._ Her breath caught in her throat. She could see his dark blue eyes, piercing through the hair and blood that obscured the rest of his face. They were wide and distant, but they weren’t glazed over in….

            She shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. Aura brushed the hair to get a better look at his face.

            “What?” She asked in surprise. It wasn’t—it was.... “Ash?”

            “Aura!” A voice ripped through her senses, causing the room around her to dissolve. She felt two hands firmly on her shoulders.

            She shook her head again, blinking rapidly as the memory swirled away.

            “Ash?” She asked. Her voice was groggy as her vision stabilized. She wasn’t in a house, of any sort. _The Ghost Temple,_ she remembered. The walls were made of an irregular pattern of bricks made from stones of differing colors and sizes. The only light came from the blue flames in the fireplace on one end. She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the small room, her arms lying loose on her lap. She looked straight ahead again; her red eyes locked with the dark blue in front of her. “Ash?” She repeated. “Is that you?” She looked at him in dumb shock for a moment. “You need a haircut, kid.”

            “Huh?” Ash blinked, releasing her. “Never mind—are you okay? You were…kinda spazzing out and… twitching.”

            “I’m fine,” she said, standing up. She avoided his gaze. “It was just a bad memory.”

            “Drogo said that you were doing some sort of training?” Ash was confused. “What kind of Training was that?” 

            The Lucario looked at the Gengar. The Ghost Sage gave a deep chuckle before phasing through the wall and out of sight.

            “Creepy bastard,” Aura muttered, wiping the corner of her mouth.

            “Are you sure you’re okay?” Ash asked again.

            “I’m fine!” She snapped, turning to shoot him a glare.

            His face fell slightly. Her expression sobered in response. She turned back and started to walk out of the room. She paused in the doorway.

            “I’m fine,” she said more gently. “Just… just worry about taking your Test. Soon, if possible. I really don’t like this place.”

            She walked out of the room into the dark hallways.

            _They are not the same,_ she insisted. _They are nothing alike._

_They can’t be._

 

…

…

 

Silver groaned, rubbing at his shoulder. His arm lay limp, the back of his hand flat against the floor below the bench he was stretched out on.

            “You’ll reopen your wounds,” Wally said. The green-haired teen stood against the nearby outside wall of the Pokémon Center. He watched with boredom as Trainers came and went through the Center’s glass doors. “Come on,” he sighed. “Let’s go in before the sun sets.”

            “You go ahead,” Silver said. “I just need a minute.”

            “Oh, no you don’t.” Wally grabbed the back of Silver’s jacket and gave a gentle but firm pull, forcing the adolescent onto his feet. “I _insist_ that you eat something before the kitchen closes, and get your bandages changed. You need to take care of yourself, _Master Zolton_.”

            Silver groaned.

            “You’re gonna blackmail me with this, aren’t you?”

            “Just until you tell me what the hell those things were,” Wally said, “and why they attacked you.”

            “I don’t know,” Silver said, breaking from his grip. “For either one.” _I mean, I have a theory or two, but like hell am I going to tell you. Besides, I think you know enough secrets about me and my family._

            “Wally!” A loud voice caused Silver to jump forward, nearly knocking Wally over.

            “What, Brendan?” Wally asked, not even concealing a groan.

            _How much of that did he overhear?_ Silver’s mind raced as he struggled to maintain a calm expression.

            “So, I was talking to Dad, after we got back from our night with the Wynaut.” Brendan spoke with finality, as if this was all he had to say.

            There was a long pause while Silver recomposed himself, positioning Wally between him and Brendan.

            “And?” Wally finally asked.

            Brendan giggled uncontrollably, raising his hand to show a poster of a set of highly detailed masks made to resemble Pokémon in various types of artistic styles.

            “What?” Wally blinked at it.

            “Slateport’s hosting the annual Devon Corporation Masquerade! And it’s coming up!” Brendan looked like he was about to combust.

            “And your point?” Wally raised an eyebrow at him.

            “We need to go!” Brendan’s baritone threatened to turn soprano.

            “What.” Silver and Wally both narrowed their eyes at him.

            “We have to go to this!” He repeated himself.

            “Absolutely not,” Silver and Wally said in unison.

            “Awwwwww, you guys never let me have any fun!” Brendan moaned dramatically as he wrapped his arms around Wally’s neck. He swayed from his friend, who simply stood still, eyes closed in disinterest. “Come _ooooooooon_. Please?”

            “He’s not going to let it go, is he?” Silver asked.

            “History says no.” Wally sighed. He calmly grabbed one of Brendan’s arms and released himself from the grip. “ _Fine._ ”

            “YES!” Brendan cheered, his voice breaking the sound barrier as he began to jump up and down energetically. “You’re the best! I love you guys!”

            “I never agreed to this,” Silver pointed out. “Besides, how do you plan to get tickets to this thing?” He took the poster from Brendan, reading the detail of the event. _I mean,_ I _could get a hold of some, but there is no way I’m going crawling back to my father now. I don’t want anything to do with this, anyway._

            “Oh, I can get us tickets.” Brendan smirked. “My father’s the most famous and respected Pokémon researcher and professor in Hoenn. He’s already promised to get tickets if we want to go.”

            “I should have known you already talked to him about it.” Wally sighed.

            “Aw, Wall, I—”

“Well,” Silver interrupted. “I don’t really want to go. Parties have never been my forte. To say the least.”

“If you don’t know how to dance,” Brendan grinned, “I can teach you in just a couple of hours. Hell, I taught Wally how to waltz, and now he’s better at it than me! I would be jealous of the attention he gets at parties and such, but he never seems to be that into it.”

Silver briefly exchanged glances with Wally.

 _He really is that dense, isn’t he_?

“Plus, you _have_ a girlfriend,” Wally pointed out.

“I never said I’d cheat on her,” Brendan sounded offended. “Just, well…. Lord knows she’d take the whole disguise part of the masquerade to the extreme.”

            “She _does_ do that.” Wally sighed again.

“For the record,” Silver continued, ignoring the tangent, “I _can_ dance. Rather well, I’ve been told. I’m just really not sure that girls would really want anything to do with me.”

“C’mon, man.” Brendan walked over to him and draped one arm around his shoulder. “You’d do fine. You’ve got plenty of wonderful _ass_ ets in your favor.”

Silver leapt out of his grip in response to unwanted contact upon his rear.

            _Did he just...?_

            Wally yanked Brendan further away from Silver with one hand.

            “Brendan,” he said through gritted teeth. “Do we have to talk about personal space again?”

            “What?” Brendan looked at him innocently.

            “Though,” Wally turned his head slightly to raise a brow at Silver, “he does have a point. I think it would be _in your best interest_ to join us. At least for a couple of hours.”

            Silver scowled.

            _You’re just blackmailing me so that you don’t have to babysit him by yourself all night, aren’t you?_

            “Fine.”

            Wally blinked at him for a moment, before giving a slight smirk.

            “Well,” Wally said in a disinterested tone. “It looks like we’re going to be hanging around here for a while. And, I’m going to have to buy a new tux; I outgrew my last one a while ago.”

            “Yeah.” Brendan nodded. “I need a new one, myself.”

            “But you just bought one before we—”

            “Nope!” Brendan cut his friend off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—I definitely need a new tux! I’m going shopping first thing in the morning!”

            Silver sighed.

            _I get the feeling that I don’t have a choice; I’m going to be dragged along._ He exhaled through his nose. _Well, I_ am _going to need a suit of some sort if I’m going to let myself get sucked into this insanity. And a mask._

 _That’s one upside to a masquerade; the masks mean that even if my father or his underlings_ are _there, maybe they won’t be able to recognize me._

Silver rubbed his forehead, groaning slightly.

            _I thought I’d finally gotten rid of the headaches._

“Silver?” Wally noticed his distress. “You okay?”

            “Fine,” Silver said, shaking his head once. He started towards the Center’s front door.

            “Where’re ya goin’?” Brendan asked, tilting his head slightly.

            Silver exchanged another glance with Wally.

            “I need to check on the Haunter I brought in last night, and I should probably eat something for dinner before the kitchen closes.” He paused in front of the door while it slid open. “I should probably take a shower or something, too.” He walked through the door.

            _I’m going to end up overdosing on painkillers if I can’t figure out how to get these damn headaches under control._

 

…

…

 

 _After all_ , a deep voice echoed in Ash’s head, _it’s in your blood…._

            “Hmm?” Ash blinked awake. He looked around, finding himself in a rather dark room. He was sitting in an excessively plush, blue armchair. The only light coming from a small, red candle burning in a golden dish on a circular table next to the chair. The illumination didn’t go far, though, and Ash couldn’t make out the shadows beyond his immediate surroundings. He rubbed nervously at his neck, freezing when he noticed something wrapped loosely around it. He pulled at it to identify the object.

            “A tie?” It was a dark blue. More than that, he was dressed in a simple, black-and-white suit. A suit? He wasn’t against them, sure, but it just wasn’t normally his style. “What’s going on? Where am I?”

            “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, Ashura,” It was the same voice he’d just heard. 

            A light clicked on in front of him, illuminating the rest of the room. The walls were mostly lined with bookshelves, holding volumes of varying sizes and colors, as well as various, small artifacts. The source of the new light was a golden lamp with a dark blue shade, the lamp resting on top an elegant, wooden desk. Seated at the desk was a tall man. He had a narrow face with a strong jaw. He had long, black hair tied back in a loose ponytail. His chin was dotted with the slightest bit of stubble, suggesting that it had been about a day since his last shave. His dark blue eyes had barely visible shadows from sleep deprivation under them. The man was also dressed in a suit of his own, the dark purples of the shirt and tie accenting the main black color.

            “Who are you?” Ash asked. “Where’s Pikachu and the others?”

            “Hmm?” The man stood up. He was quite tall, probably around six-and-a-half feet, and his frame was solid—though not stocky—with strong, wide shoulders. “Are you feeling alright?”

            “Honestly,” Ash said, “I feel… lightheaded.”

            “Oh?”

            “What is going on?” Ash repeated, starting to get anxious. “Where am I?”

            The man walked slowly around the desk to him. He looked down at Ash, one eyebrow raised in concern. “I’m—!”

            A loud rapping sound cut him off. Both men turned to face the door to Ash’s left, which he could barely see in the poor lighting.

            “Enter,” the strange man said as he recomposed himself.

            A young woman entered, roughly Ash’s age. She stood at about average height, her slim build completely enveloped in a simple, dark blue dress. Her orange-red hair flowed in slight waves down just past her shoulders. Her teal eyes locked with Ash’s.

            Was he crazy, or was she—

            “Misty?” Ash gaped. _What the hell is going on?_

            “Sorry for the intrusion, My Lord.”

            _My Lord?_ Ash raised a brow. _Misty never talks like that._ He looked back at the strange man. _Who the hell is this guy?_

            “Can someone _please_ tell me what the _hell_ is going on?”Ash struggled to keep his voice under control.

            “Ashura.” The man looked at him, concern clear on his face.

            _Ashura_. A new, deeper voice echoed in his mind.

            Everything swirled into darkness. A pair of bright, angled red eyes dissolved into existence right in front of his face.

            Ash screamed, trying to throw himself backwards.

            Ash found the action to be impossible, however, as the chair in his dream had become the cave wall in reality. He breathed rapidly for a few moments, looking at his actual surroundings of the bare Temple room. A large Gengar stood in front of where Ash sat, a wide grin on his face.

            “Sage Drogo!” Ash exclaimed. “What the hell?” _So I_ was _dreaming. But, what the hell_ about? “Haven’t you heard of personal space?”

            “Look who’s talking,” the Gengar chuckled, floating backwards slightly.

            Ash looked at the others sleeping against the wall around him. Pikachu was sprawled on the stone ground near his lap—Ash must have knocked him off his head or shoulder when he had jolted awake. Nyx was curled in a loose circle on Ash’s lap, the Dark-type Pokémon generating enough heat to negate any need for a blanket. Misty was sleeping against the wall to his left, her head leaning  slightly against his side, with most of her weight against his shoulder. At first glance, it seemed that Aura was likewise leaning against his right side, but a second look showed that she was actually angled more behind him, her arm wrapped behind Ash to place her hand on Misty’s shoulder.

            _Huh. Why wouldn’t she just sleep next to Misty, then?_ Ash looked at the sleeping Lucario, who muttered something incoherent.

            Ash gently picked up Nyx, placing him in front of Misty on the ground. The Shiny Umbreon mumbled in his sleep, but didn’t wake. Ash stood up slowly, returning his gaze to the Gengar.

“What do you want?” Ash asked the Ghost Sage. “It’s the middle of the night.”

            “Exactly.”

            “What?”

            “The Ghost Element’s Test must be taken by the Chosen One in the dead of the night,” the Sage explained. “Alone.”

            _I had a feeling I would_ , Ash thought with a grimace.

            He looked back at the others. Aura’s grip had tightened on Misty, pulling the Lucario close against the teenage girl, the human’s head resting on the Pokémon’s shoulder. Aura’s head tilted, and laid on top of Misty’s. Ash’s grimace deepened.

            “Alone, huh?” His voice was a bit more bitter than he intended.

            “Yes. This is the Ghost Element,” Drogo said. “It is intertwined with what we call Spirit. You must meet the demands of both on your own.”

            “I don’t understand.”

            “You will, Chosen One.” Drogo started to float away. “Or you shall perish.”

            “Perish?” Ash repeated, following him out into the hallway. “What do you mean, ‘perish’? You mean, _die?_ ”

            “That is what the word means, yes,” Drogo said, continuing to float down the Temple hall. “You are not new to the Tests as a concept, Chosen One. You should understand the risks they pose by now. Their defenses may be meant to keep the unworthy from accessing the Elements’ sources, but they can easily kill even you.”

            “I…” Ash hesitated. “Yeah. I guess.”

            “Come with me, Chosen One,” Drogo said. He stopped in front of a wall, the rock surface as irregular and jagged as any cave’s. “Your questions shall be answered.” The Gengar then floated right through it.

            “Uh,” Ash stammered. “I can’t walk through walls. I’m not a ghost.”

            “Walk through the wall, Chosen One.” The voice sounded clear enough.

            _I’m gonna break my nose,_ Ash scowled again. He took a deep breath before walking after Drogo. Just like the Gengar had, Ash phased straight through the stone and into a new cavern. Unlike the rest of the Temple, which had chunks of the wall paved with carved bricks, this area had the same, unpolished stone of any cave for walls, ceiling, and floor. There was only a single torch hanging in a metal sconce to shed any light in the cave, and—besides the fake wall he’d just come through—the only way out was an irregular tunnel in front of him that went down, deeper into the earth.

            Ash turned and faced the wall he’d just phased through. He hesitantly reached out to it, finding that his hand still passed right through it.

            “Whoa,” Ash breathed. He turned back to the Ghost Sage. “It’s… not really there, is it?”

            “Not everything is as it seems,” Drogo said with a chuckle. “Not in direct appearances, nor in action, nor even in your instincts.” He clapped his hands together, and as he drew them apart, a wax candle materialized between them. He handed it to Ash. “You must see things as they truly are, feel with something even stronger than gut reaction.”

            “What?” Ash asked, taking the candle. The wax was a swirl of dark red and purple. The wick sparked, igniting into a small, lavender flame. “Whaa—!” He exclaimed. “What is—?”

            “This will be your only illumination as you travel through the Spirit Grotto. The flame will change, depending upon the situation.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash asked.

            “I cannot say.”

            “Of course not,” Ash groaned. “Would it be so bad for someone to give me a straight answer?”

            “You are being trusted with a great power, Chosen One,” Drogo said. “We must make sure that you are capable of truly using this power. By making sure that you are never just handed it, we can also make sure that you respect this power and understand its magnitude.” His expression darkened. “We can’t let just any idiotic child run around with what amounts to the power of a _god_ , now can we? Especially not when you consider what’s out there—and who.”

            “The Traitor.” Ash looked away.

            Drogo nodded.

            “While you may go back and refuse to take the Test at this point, once you begin, you may not be able to exit the Grotto until the Element had been claimed. You will be returned only upon victory.” He started to return through the false wall. “I sincerely hope that you do not die.”

            “Somehow,” Ash muttered to himself, “that doesn’t really make me feel any better.”

            He turned back to the downward path before him. He thought he saw a light flickering in the distance. He could go back, like Drogo said. _But that would be giving up_. Ash scowled at the thought. He looked at the candle. The flame continued to flicker, the flame growing briefly before returning to its original size.

He started down the tunnel, stumbling slightly on the uneven stone. The candle gave him light to see well enough that he never actually fell, but he had some difficulty with his sense of balance. After a few minutes, Ash found himself at what appeared to be a dead end. There was a slight alcove carved into the final wall, with a small, metallic statue resting in it. The metal glimmered a slight purple in the odd candlelight. The statue depicted a Spiritomb, the Pokémon’s keystone resting upon a flat, stone base with a single word carved into it. Ash traced the letters with one finger.

            “Courage,” he read it aloud.

            A loud rumbling echoed throughout the tunnel. Ash turned sharply, trying to see back down the way he’d come.

            “Hello?” He called out.

            The ground beneath his feet abruptly vanished. Ash immediately began to plummet into the darkness, his stomach apparently deciding to remain behind.

            _This again?_ Ash felt more annoyed than worried. _This is getting old._    

            He looked over to his left. The candle—which he had dropped when he’d started falling—was descending at roughly the same rate as him. The little flame was wavering rapidly from the air resistance, but never went completely out. He reached out, managing to grab it without burning his own hand. Ash tried to use it to try to get a look at how far he had left to fall.

            Before he could, however, the gentle grip of a pair of arms suddenly stopped his decent.

            “Who…?” Ash raised the candle to illuminate his savior’s face. With a loud yell, he pushed himself out of their arms with his free hand. Ash fell to the ground, dropping the candle, which rolled a short distance away.

            It was the man from his dream. Though, instead of the suit, he wore a black trench coat over like-colored pants and a red shirt. The toes of his dark boots were capped in steel. The shadows under his eyes were even worse than in the dream.

            “Ah, Ashura,” he said gently. “Glad I was in time, for once.”

            “Who the hell are you?” Ash didn’t realize he was nearly shouting.

            “I suppose it would be unfair to expect you to remember.” He leaned over slightly, offering a hand. “Let me help you up.”

            Ash stared at the hand for a long moment, before looking back up at the man. He didn’t take the hand. The man’s dark blue eyes filled with clear pain.

            “You don’t really expect him to trust you,” a new voice spoke from behind Ash, “do you, Gyles?” Ash felt a pair of hands grab the underside of his arms and lift him to his feet. He turned to face the newcomer. It was a young man, appearing to be several years younger than the first, maybe around twenty-one years old. The man’s slender and gently-shaped face was clean shaven. His long, dark red hair was neatly tied back in a tight ponytail, much neater and longer than the first man’s. Even in the purple light, Ash could see that the man’s eyes were a dark teal, their narrow gaze focused on the other man. He wore a loose, black buttoned shirt and slacks, and—like the first man—a pair of heavy, steel-tipped boots. The second man was slim, in comparison to the first man.

            _Now, who’s this guy?_ Ash raised an eyebrow at him. _Wait._ His eyes widened. _Gyles? But, that’s—!_ He turned back to the first man. _You mean…?_

            “I’m sorry, Ashura,” he said in a soft tone.

            “Dad?” Ash breathed. “But… you’re dead!”

            “Isn’t that the point?” The red-haired man behind Ash pointed out. “Don’t forget where you are.”

            _The Ghost Temple._ Ash remembered. “So… you’re a ghost?”

            “More like a memory meeting possibility,” the mysterious man clarified. “What once was, combined with what could have been.”

            “Why?” Ash turned to face the other man. “Why would the Temple show me some… ghost-thing of my father? I never knew him; he died when I was a baby.”

            “More specifically, he died shortly after you were born.”

            “Whatever. You didn’t answer my question.”

            “Oooh,” the red-haired man sneered at Ash. “Looks like the precious Chosen One has picked up a bit of his father’s arrogance after all, eh, Gyles?”

            “Whadaya mean?” Ash turned back to Gyles. “Who is this guy?”

            “My greatest devil,” Gyles said in a low tone.

            “What?” Ash didn’t understand. He raised the candle, trying to better illuminate his father’s face.

            “He’s here for a very simple reason, Ashura,” the red-haired man spoke into Ash’s ear from behind, gently grabbing his shoulders. “He’s here because he never was around when you needed him. He’s here because he’s not there for you now, when you need him most. He’s here now because he had to go and get himself _destroyed_ and leave you and your mother alone to struggle along without him.”

            “But—!”

            “Imagine how much easier life would have been if he hadn’t gone and died on you. Imagine having _both_ parents to raise and support you. Imagine how much stronger of a trainer, how much stronger of a _person_ you would be if _he’d_ been there, too. But, because he had to go and be reckless, he got himself killed.”

            “Mom said he died of pneumonia,” Ash retorted. “That doesn’t—!”

            “How do you think he got himself in that situation in the first place?” His voice softened. It was smooth and gentle, like some sort of soft cloth. It made Ash’s stomach churn. “He thought himself strong. He didn’t care about how his actions affected you or your mother. And _you’re_ the ones that ultimately paid the price; you’re the ones who suffered. His pain is done. He can’t feel it anymore. But, even though you will never understand the grief, you will always be the worse off because of his indiscretions.

            “And,” the man continued, “imagine your mother’s pain. This was the man she loved, after all, the one she chose. Married him. Had a child with him. And, just when you were born, just when she needed his support the most, he had to up and die on her. Left her alone, with no family to turn to, to take care of her child on her own.”

            _But… Mom wasn’t alone_ , Ash wanted to protest, but he couldn’t make his voice work. _She had Professor Oak…and Gary’s parents, before they died. And… and…_  His thoughts faltered.

            “You don’t have to defend me,” Gyles said softly, apparently reading his son’s mind. “He’s right; it is my fault, at least in part. You have a right to blame me, to be angry with me. It’s okay. I deserve it.”

            “I…” Ash didn’t know what to say or how to feel.

            “He admits it,” the strange man said. Ash felt him press something into his right hand. “And now, Chosen One, you can pass judgment on his sins against you and your mother, after all this time.”

            Ash raised his hand to look at what had been placed in it. It was a dagger, its wooden handle delicately carved with miniscule detailing. The steel blade glistened in the candlelight. Ash turned and looked up at the man. _What the hell…?_

            “You _do_ know how that works, right?” The man smirked. “You grip the wood handle firmly,” he continued in a condescending tone, “and you press the metal pointy end into the chest of whoever you need dead. In this case,” he turned Ash back around with one hand, “your father.”

            “I’m not gonna kill my own father.” Ash felt sick.

            “You’re not really killing him,” the man reminded him. “This Gyles isn’t even real. He’s not even a real memory. Not really. He’s not a ghost or a spirit, either. Even I’m not really here. All this is, is an opportunity for you to let that confusion and frustration out, to prove to yourself once and for all who’s to blame. Let that deep, burning feeling that lies dormant in your gut erupt into a fire you can harness.”

            “What are you—?”

            “It may not be much, yet, but there is an anger buried inside you. It’s in your blood; you can’t escape it. Why not harness it, learn how to control the power it can grant you? You are the Chosen One; you could become more powerful than the Sages let you know. You could be even stronger than the Legendaries, than even Arceus.”

            “I…”

            “You want to protect your loved ones, don’t you?” The man didn’t give him time to respond. “Your mother, your Pokémon, your friends, your girlfriend?”

            “I don’t have a—!”

            “I can help you obtain that power, to find it within yourself and to harness it to its fullest potential. But, you must take that first step yourself, by letting yourself go.”

            “You’re still asking me to kill my own father.” Ash was able to complete a sentence.

            “But, like I said, we’re not real, neither of us. So, you’re not really killing anyone. Plus, no one will ever know. It will be your little secret, of how you took that next big step into a world of power.”

            Ash looked from the knife to his father. The man looked away, resting his hands in his back pockets, which left his chest totally vulnerable. It was as if Gyles wanted to give Ash the opportunity, as if he _wanted_ to die. Ash frowned.

            “ _I_ would know,” Ash said. “I would never be able to forget that I was willing to kill someone—my own father—even if he isn’t real. And, the fact that there is a Ghost Element means that there are probably actual ghosts of people—like Dad. And, wherever he is, _he’d_ know. Those are two good enough reasons for me to say no.” He turned to the red-haired man, harmlessly pushing the dagger flat against his chest, forcing the man to take the weapon back. “You can keep your power or whatever. I’m the Chosen One, but I’m also Ash Ketchum. I will protect my friends how _I_ choose, not you.”

            The man blinked at Ash.

            “Ashura.” Ash heard his father sigh.

            The red-haired man grimaced at Ash.

            “What a disappointment,” he said, twirling the dagger in one hand a few times. “So be it.” He tossed it in a nearly careless manner. Ash felt the rush as the blade barely missed his cheek. “How boring, that you should fear death.”

            “I’m not afr—!” Ash started automatically. _Wait_. He turned back towards Gyles. _Dad._

            The dagger was embedded in the base of Gyles’s neck. His hands were wrapped around the handle, as if he intended to pull the blade out, though they didn’t move beyond trembling. Blood gushed from around the blade, darkening the red shirt below it in a macabre swirl. It began to also drip down to the floor, a puddle forming in quiet splashes.

            Gyles made a soft, wet sound as he tried to breathe around the blade.

            “Dad!” Ash yelled. He leapt to catch his father as he fell to his knees.

            “Don’t, Ashura.” Gyles’s struggled to speak through his cough. “I… brought this upon myself; in fact… I deserve far… worse for the sins… I’ve committed. I’ve… more than earned… your anger, my son. I’m sorry.”

            “What does that mean?” Ash asked, but Gyles simply coughed and exhaled. “Dad? _Dad?_ ”

            Gyles’s body dissolved into dust in Ash’s arms. He sat completely still for a long moment, staring at where Gyles had just been. The candle lay on the ground nearby, the flame barely existent. Ash raised his hands and looked at his palms. They were stained a dark red. _Blood._ Ash felt his chest contract and his jaw clenched, as if of its own accord. He stood up and faced the strange man.

            “ _You bastard!_ ” His hands balled into fists and his arms shook. “Why did you—? _Why?_ ”

            “Don’t you know who I am?” The man sneered at him. “Surely by now you’ve seen my face in metal and stone enough to recognize me, _Chosen One._ ”

            Ash stared for a moment. Images of statues from each Temple flashed briefly in his mind.

            “The Traitor.”

            “That’s one name for me, yes.” The Traitor pulled out another dagger and began to twirl it in mild disinterest, no longer looking at Ash. “You should ask your little friend for some others. She knows quite a few of them.”

            _She?_ Ash tilted his head in confusion. _Why would Misty—?_

            _Dolt._ A familiar voice echoed, cutting him off.

            _No, Aura. She said that—! Wait. Her scars. On her back. Could they be from—?_

“It’s almost a shame, though,” the Traitor didn’t wait for Ash’s mind to finish. “The _high and mighty_ Sages put all their faith in you, little boy. A child. One who can’t even accept all of himself.”

            “What does _that_ —?”

            “You wanted to know why I was able to so easily and thoughtlessly kill Gyles? It’s for the exact reason he said. I am his greatest demon, the one that destroyed him, heart and soul.”

            “That doesn’t make sense. What does that mean?”

            The Traitor gave a low, short laugh. He walked up to Ash, stopping mere inches away from the teenager’s face. Ash wanted to back away, to hit him, to do _something_ , but his muscles seemed to freeze in place. The Traitor gently grabbed his chin—sending a wave of cold down Ash’s body—and lifted the teenager’s face to lock gazes.

            “You don’t know,” the youthful-looking ancient said in an almost sad tone. “You don’t understand. You don’t have the truth. You can’t truly face the darkness in your own heart without it, but to learn it risks shattering your weak light, your fragile mind.”

            “That doesn’t make any sense!” Ash repeated. “Tell me what that means!”

            “Do you assume yourself to be able to give _me_ commands, now, Chosen One?” The Traitor laughed again, releasing him. “How can you master another person, or the Elements, or indeed anything at all, if you cannot even master _your own emotions_?”

            “Can _somebody_ please make some _goddamned sense?_ ” Ash’s voice started to crack.

            “Oooh, someone’s got a foul mouth, now,” the Traitor taunted him, still laughing as he backed away into the shadows of the cave.

            “Hey!” Ash yelled, picking up the candle. He tried to use it to light the area, to find where the Traitor had gone. “Come _back_ here!” He breathed heavily as he waved the candle back and forth; the flame was a little larger now, but still too small to be of much use. Afraid of accidentally blowing it out, he stopped.

            He took a few steps forward, towards the jagged wall of the cavern. The grey stone was tinted purple in the colored candlelight. He pressed his hand against it, checking that it was real. He sighed before turning and leaning back against it.

            “Coward,” Ash muttered. “That’s just great. He’s not even real, and he’s just making things more crazy and confusing for me. What’s next?” He peered into the darkness, calling out to whoever might be within hearing. “Is there anything else, while we’re at it? Anything else you want to do to confuse me? Can we just get the crazy stuff out of the way?” He heard the sounds of slow footsteps approaching. “Oh, good. What now?” The sound continued, but no one appeared. “H—Hello?” Ash called out.

            The flame on the candle went out.

            _What? Why did that happen?_ The footsteps were getting louder. And faster. _Who is it? Is it gonna be Brock now, with some super crazy secret? Or maybe Tracey’s some psycho murderer. Hell, while we’re being_ insane, _maybe Mom’s actually a crime lord. Or—!_

            What Ash didn’t even consider, even among the highest insanity, was that the footsteps could end with someone gently grabbing the underside of his jaw and his shoulder, and pressing their lips against his.

            So, when exactly that happened, Ash froze, losing all sense of comprehension. Heat erupted from the point of contact, spreading across his face. The faint taste of sea water tingled in his mouth. When the contact with his mouth was broken, his mind tired to kick start back into gear.

            _Wh—what? What? Did that—? Did someone just—? What? Kiss me?_ What? _I mean. The hell? Kiss. Just. What? Who?_ Who?

            “He—hello?” He finally stammered. “Who just—who?”

            “Don’t tell me you don’t already know.” There was no mistaking her voice; he heard it every day.

            The heat on his face increased and spread even further, reaching the tips of his ears. He was suddenly very glad for the utter darkness and its ability to hide him from sight.

            “Why?” He struggled to speak.

            “You know why.”

            His mind raced, trying to think of what to say, when something clicked.

            “You’re not real.” He remembered. “You’re just an illusion. It’s not really you. This is just… some sort of trick.”

            “Maybe,” she admitted. “But, it _feels_ real enough, doesn’t it? And, everything here is dependent on some memory or thought or desire buried somewhere in your mind. So, then….”

            “No,” Ash insisted. “No, because that would mean that—!”

            “That it was _you_ who wanted to kiss _me_ , not the other way around?”

            “I don’t—I can’t—no.”

            “What about the Fighting Temple?”

            “Th—that was just hormones,” Ash insisted. “We were caught up in the moment. That’s all. It didn’t really mean any….”

            “Then why do you think about it so much?” The words made every muscle in Ash’s body freeze. “Why do you look back on it and feel regret?”

            “I—I don’t—I…”

            “And why is your heart threatening to break your rib cage?”

            “It’s not!” Ash nearly shouted. _I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of anything, and I’m definitely not afraid of_ this!

            “Oh, Chosen One,” the Traitor’s voice sounded from right next to them. “You still just don’t understand.”

            He felt Misty—or the fake Misty, or whatever—being pulled back away from him. An orange light suddenly burst into existence, apparently out of nowhere, illuminating the whole, small cavern. The Traitor now stood just in front of him, holding Misty from behind in front of him, one hand firmly around her neck.

            Ash took a step forward, but froze in place again when Misty made a wet, choking sound. A small point of metal protruded from her stomach. A dark red color spread and swirled from where it emerged, staining her clothes and dripping to the stone floor.

            Just like with Gyles.

            Ash opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came. He simply stared. The Traitor removed his dagger from her back. Her body collapsed to the floor. Ash’s muscles finally cooperated, and he leapt to her still form. He gingerly took her into his arms. Judging by the ragged sound coming from her throat, she was still alive—barely. He pressed his hand flat against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The hot blood just oozed between his fingers and down his hand and arm.

            “Misty…” He was barely able to even say her name. He looked up at the Traitor. The red-haired man smirked back. Ash narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “You…you _bastard!_ I’ll…!”

            “You’ll what?” He cut him off. “Kill me? I think we’ve already established that you fear death far too much to be able to manage that, even if you _could_ so much as lay a scratch on me to start with. Besides,” he chuckled, “I think you have something else to worry about now. Look at your hand.”

            Ash looked at his right palm. Resting there, in his reddened hand, was the dagger, the blade dripping with blood. He dropped it in shock, the metal clanking against the stone with deafening volume.

            “I didn’t do it!” Ash yelled. “I would never—it was you—I _saw_ you do it!” His heart was threatening to leap out of his throat now.

            “Did I?” The Traitor asked in mock confusion. “Are you sure? After all, I’m just a figment of your imagination, aren’t I? Born from some dark thought buried deep in your own mind. Perhaps a memory you don’t recall. Besides, aren’t you missing the point? Or, is she _not_ the one you saw carved into the statue of Death, at the foot of the mountain? Was she _not_ the one under that hood?”

            “But…” Ash hesitated. “But, there were _two_ people under that hood!” He remembered.

            “I know.” The Traitor laughed again and dissolved into nothingness. The orange light shifted to blue, darkening the cavern. He couldn’t see very far from his position, now. Ash looked back at Misty. She was still breathing—just—but, now there was something in _her_ arms, as well.

            No. Some _one._

            “Pikachu.” Ash’s throat tightened. The small, yellow form resting against her arm was still, and also soaked with blood from a deep gash in his side. He was silent and wasn’t moving. _No. No, no, no, nonononono. No!_ _This can’t be happening!_ He looked up. “Someone—anyone—! Please… help….”

            He had to do something. Misty was still alive—if barely—and Pikachu might not be dead, yet, either. He had to _do something_. But, what? What could he do? What could he do, but sit there, helpless, as they died in his arms? Died, and left him all alone in the dark.

            _This is my fault. This is_ my _fault!_ _And I can’t do anything to save them._

            His eyes burned and his vision of their limp forms began to blur.

            “Ash…” he heard Misty gurgle his name through the blood in her mouth and throat. “It’s okay. You don’t… have to fight… it. You… don’t have to… hide it… anymore. You can… say it. It’s… okay.”

            “What?” Ash choked.

            “Please…” her voice was somehow able to get even fainter. “Tell… me… how you… feel… at this… moment.”

            “Wha—?”

            “What… emotion…?”

            Ash stared at her.

            “Please…” she repeated. “Don’t… fight… it.”

            Ash’s heart pulsed through his neck again. The beats vibrated against the streams of tears running down his face. The blue light faded and left him in complete darkness again.

            “I….” The words threatened to get caught in his throat. Eventually, he was able to speak them, in a barely audible whisper. “I’m… scared.”

            The cave was instantly and completely illuminated in a purple light. Ash looked over towards the source; the flame of the candle had reignited, burning far brighter than any candle Ash had ever seen. It simply burned silently from where it lay, just within reach. The illusions of Misty and Pikachu were gone. Ash’s hands and clothes were no longer covered in their blood. There was no dagger on the ground.

            There was only him. It was just Ash, alone in a cave with a candle. He wiped his eyes, and took a moment to get his breathing under control.

            Was that it? Was that all the illusions wanted him to say? That he was scared?

            _Now you’re catching on,_ a familiar, female voice chuckled in his mind. _You reckless dolt._

            He picked up the candle and slowly got back on his feet.

            _I just want to be done with this and get out of here. I want to leave this bad dream behind._

“I can do that,” a new voice spoke behind him. It was a deep, masculine voice but youthful. More than that, it was one Ash had never heard before. He turned to face the new speaker.

            The figure was almost completely covered in a cloak, black accented in dark red. The hood was up, obscuring most of his face; Ash could only see had a rather slim frame, and stood an inch or two taller than him. Ash could barely make out the figure jaw, slender but solid. His mouth was closed in a slight frown. Ash could see some of the boy’s long, red hair, as it flowed out from under the hood. Unlike the Traitor, though, this hair was loose, and a brighter red color.

            “Who are you?” Ash asked. “I’ve never seen you before. Have I?”

            “My name would serve you no purpose,” he spoke. “We do not know each other. This is true. Yet, somehow you’ve managed to summon me here, all the same.”

            Something occurred to Ash.

            “Will we ever meet? I mean, like, really? Will I ever find and meet the actual, living you, the one that breathes and feels and… does the… things.” _Wow, maybe Aura is right. I_ am _kinda a dolt._

            “You are definitely your father’s son.” The figure turned around. “Maybe someday. Maybe soon. I’m not actually real, after all, so even if the future _can_ be seen, _I_ certainly can’t see it.”

            “What do you…?”

            “Come on,” he cut Ash off. “Let’s get going.” He started to walk away, towards a narrow tunnel out of the cavern and further underground.

            “How do you know where to go?” Ash asked as he jogged slightly to catch up. “I mean, the other… illusion thing said that everything here comes from my memory, or something. And I’ve never been here before.”

            “No,” the cloaked boy said, as he led Ash around a series of bends. “No, you haven’t. But, you are the Chosen One. You have a soul that is drawn to the Elements. So, I guess that’s what I’m following. And, for the record, we’re called Echoes.” He walked down the sloped path, leaping down off the edge. Ash held the candle over it before following, seeing that it was maybe a two foot drop and thus reasonably safe to follow after the Echo. A small amount of water splashed underfoot as he landed.

            “Water?” Ash asked as he ran to keep up with his guide.

            “Apparently. I would explain where it came from, but I can’t really be sure. All I really know is what _you_ do, after all. Maybe it’s from the river that runs by Mount Pyre.” He stopped before the wall of their current cavern for a brief moment. He walked right through it.

            Ash hesitated, before following after him. Even though it wasn’t really there, and he didn’t feel anything as he walked through the false wall, it still unnerved him.

            “Why are there these fake walls here?” Ash asked.

            The cloaked boy stopped for a moment, and turned slightly. This time, Ash could see the shape of his nose—a little larger than average, but straight—and just barely made out the color of his eyes under the cover of his hood. They were blue in color, and so dark that they almost seemed black in the low light. His eyes locked with Ash’s for a brief moment, before he turned back around and started to lead Ash through yet another series of twists and turns and false walls.

            “Because,” he finally whispered. “Things are not always as they seem.”

            _Well, that was helpful_ , Ash thought to himself with a bitter frown.

            The boy stopped suddenly.

            “There are stairs, now.” He pointed directly down. “Do not trust your eyes. They are wrong. You will walk down through the floor. Then, you shall find the Spirit.”

            “What?” Ash scratched his head with his free hand. “Whadaya mean?”

            The boy didn’t speak again. He simply walked forward, and down, into the floor and out of sight. Ash followed after him. He held his breath as he walked down, his foot phasing through the stone. A deep chill pierced his gut, but Ash clenched his teeth and forced himself to walk forwards despite of it.

            Ash found that he was following a circular staircase—carved deliberately and with intricate detail from black marble—that spiraled gradually downward. After the staircase made several rotations, Ash found himself at the base, in a small, square room in the middle of the spiral. Directly in front of him, in the center of the room, was a metal basin resting on top of a pillar of black stone. Ash noticed something was carved into the stone, just under the basin. He lowered the candle to shed light on and read it.

            _Courage_.

            Ash scoffed slightly. He looked around. _I guess he’s gone, now,_ he decided _._ He looked back at the basin. There was the small puddle of liquid in it. Ash looked back at the candle in his hand. He tilted his head in thought for a moment. _This is probably crazy._ He lightly tossed the candle into the basin. The liquid ignited, and a burst of flame erupted into life. Ash backed up in an instant reaction, raising his hands to keep the sudden light from blinding him. The ground shook slightly, as the far stone wall loudly retracted into the ground, revealing the room beyond. The fire burned out, and the only illumination was the pale blue light coming from the new room.

            Ash slowly walked around the basin and into the Ghost Shrine.

            Unlike any of the Shrines before, the room’s walls, floor and ceiling were all carved out of the same black marble as the staircase. The walls were still covered in the usual carvings, though the light came from the glowing columns of blue crystals in each corner. In the left front corner, right near the doorway, were the expected statues of Hikaru and the Traitor. Each life-like detail carved and shaped into silver, the statues depicted the ancient Lucario apparently in the middle of training, his legs bent and arms outstretched in a battle stance Ash had never seen before. His eyes were closed in a peaceful expression. The young Traitor was attempting to mimic Hikaru, but his stance was far more awkward, and his mouth was slightly open in a confused frown. The Dragonair was wrapped around Hikaru’s midsection, its eyes closed and mouth open, as if in the middle of a conversation.

            _Huh,_ Ash thought. _I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, I didn’t know what I expected, but… not that._ He turned to the center of the room.

            As usual, in the center of the room sat the statue of the ancient Sage-King kneeling and holding up the Shrine’s Orb. The Orb in nestled safely in the silver paws was a swirling mix of dark purple and dark red, just like the candle Drogo had given him had been. Several statues of Ghost type Pokémon surrounded the Shrine Statue, including Gastly, Misdreavus, Shedinja, Sableye, Banette, Drifblim, Spiritomb, Dusknoir, Rotom and a couple others Ash wasn’t familiar with.

            He stumbled over the Gastly statue, almost falling over, as he slowly made his way across to the Orb Statue. He looked around.

            “You’re not gonna reappear and attack me while I’m doing this, right?” He called out to the darkness behind him. After a long silence, he shrugged and turned back to the Orb. “This is just going make me more confused, isn’t it?” He muttered. He took a few long, deep breaths, before clenching his eyes shut and grabbing the Orb with both hands.

            The pain didn’t come right away, as it had with the others. First, a wave of cold washed over him, as if he had leapt head-first into a pool of ice water. He trembled violently as irrational and unbridled terror surged through him. Just when those sensations began to ebb, the first of the waves of pain tore through him. Ash tried to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat.

            Eventually, the pain faded to a dull throbbing. Ash hesitantly opened his eyes. The Shrine around him was gone, replaced with an entirely white void. A few feet in front of him there was a simple throne carved from dark grey stone, with a figure cloaked in black seated upon it. The figure looked up to face him.

            Under the hood was the bird-like skull of the statue of Death at the foot of Mount Pyre. Ash inhaled sharply in recognition.

            “Ashura Ketchum,” it spoke. Its voice was neither male nor female. It stood up and took a few steps towards Ash. “I did not expect to see you. Not yet.”

            “I… who exactly _are_ you?” Ash felt rather uncomfortable in this person’s presence.

            “I am Death.” The words held no emotion. “I have no form; I solely appear as you currently perceive me. You are not dead, and thus have little purpose to stand before me.”

            “I—I was…” Ash stammered. “The Gh—ghost Temple. T-test.”

            “Oh. I see. You are here because you fear death.”

            “I’m not afraid to die!” Ash exclaimed.

            “That is not what I said.” Death turned slightly. It raised a skeletal hand, and a staff made of a twisted branch of ebony materialized in its grip. The staff held a large, round gem—rather similar to an Orb—of a reflective black color upon the top. “Though, I admit you seem to be right, in a sense. You may fear the _instant_ of death, the _cause_ , depending how you eventually meet it and your circumstances at the time. But I can tell that the concept of _being_ dead, in and of itself, holds no fear for you. But, neither of those were what I spoke of.”

            “I don’t understand.”

            “You fear death.”

            “Can you please explain what you mean?” Ash tried to remain calm.

            The image of Misty’s dying form appeared on the ground, the deep wound in her stomach, just below her rib cage, bleeding profusely. A puddle of blood spread from her body.

            “Are you trying to claim,” Death asked, “that your friend’s death does not scare you, in any way?”

            “I…” Ash hesitated. “I…. Of course it does.” He managed in a small voice. The image faded back into white nothingness.

            “Are you surprised?” A familiar voice spoke from Ash’s right.

             Death and Ash both turned to face the speaker.

            “Hikaru,” Death addressed the Lucario. The ancient Sage-King was wearing a wide, jeweled, gold collar detailed with silver on the top of his chest, with a long purple cape flowing from the back. He wore wide bracelets of similar design to the collar as well. He stood a slight bit taller than the average Lucario, but was still significantly shorter than Aura. Hikaru also seemed to be mildly transparent, as if he were a ghost or spirit.

            _I guess he kinda is_ , Ash realized.

            “Ah, Hikaru,” Death said. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to stand before me. A _long_ time.”

            “Sorry that this still isn’t a proper hello,” Hikaru said with a light chuckle. “As you can see, I’m not exactly capable of going with you.”

            “Wait,” Ash interrupted. “You mean, you’re not dead?”

            “No, I’m dead. Technically. I just can’t die _properly_.”

            “That doesn’t make sense,” Ash said. “Can you _please_ explain what that means?”

            Hikaru chuckled. “I suppose today has been rather taxing on you, hasn’t it, Chosen One?”

            “You could say that.” Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “Allow me to try to clarify a bit.” Hikaru took a few steps in silence. Ash wondered if he was trying to decide how to say what needed said, or if he was simply walking because he finally _could_ again—in a way, at least. “I guess you could say that the manner in which I died left me bonded to a particular task. That I am still bound to the living world due to my greatest sin.”

            “What sin?” Ash asked.

            “That I was unable to contain the evil I inadvertently helped to raise.”

            “The Traitor.” Ash understood. “But, that wasn’t actually your fault. He _betrayed_ you.”

            “True. But he was still my responsibility, and I should have been powerful enough to bring him down. My last ditch effort took far too long to bear even the slightest of fruit. My prophecy—namely, you, Chosen One—didn’t fulfill for countless long years. Because I misjudged the passage of time in my final moments, countless lives have suffered in some manner or another due to his malice, his thirst for blood and power, and his ease in manipulating the hearts those around him.

            “And, now, I can’t truly rest until either he is defeated and my prophecy is complete, or it fails utterly and he wins beyond all hope.”

            “So…you’ve been waiting for me? Since the day you died? Conscious?”

            “I did not feel the passage of time quite the same from the moment of my death until the moment of your birth, but yes. In a manner of speaking, I was.” Hikaru didn’t sound upset in the slightest.

            Ash stared at him.

            “As fascinating as this is,” Death cut in, “I do believe that Ashura is here for a _reason_. We really shouldn’t hold him longer than we must. His body cannot maintain contact with such a powerful Element without it accepting his ownership for long.”

            “Alright.” Hikaru nodded. “If you don’t mind, I shall withdraw. If there is one Element I don’t wish to cross, it is _yours_ , old friend.”

            “I appreciate it.”

            Hikaru faded into nothingness again.

            “Is he ever gonna just give me a straight answer?” Ash asked.

            “He mostly has. Truth is dangerous. It must be handled properly, with respect. There is much light in the living world, but that means that there is also darkness. Where there is life, there is also death. This balance is what powers the Ghost Element. Even Spirits, they are simply a blend of life and death, having returned to the mortal world without fully returning to _life_. That is why the Ghost Element is also known to the Sages as the Element of Spirit. But, more than that, the Ghost Element also presides over an emotion, one that is forever linked to death in many ways.

            “Fear.”

            “But, I’m not afra—!” Ash started.

            “But, you are.” Death took a few steps to close the distance between them. “You carry a great deal of fear. You cannot hide it from me. But, the fear of death, even of that of your loved ones, is not your most crippling. Nor the fear of failure. Nor of pain, nor of any primal phobia. Nor is it even of intimacy. It is _fear itself_ that you fear to the point of self-destruction. If you do not understand this fear, and the true relation between fear and courage, you will get yourself killed. And many others will die with you.” Death placed its hands on Ash’s shoulders, its glowing eyes staring straight into his own. “Allow me to show you the truth.”

            Everything melted away, swirling into a blend of dark colors. The smell of rain filled Ash’s nose. And blood. He could taste it on his tongue. His legs moved without his command. He was running down a city alleyway, in the rain, in the early evening. Blood seeped from the cracks of pain on his lips and nose. His left arm was also bleeding, judging by the burning stripe running diagonally down it from his shoulder, oozing blood down onto his hand and in between his fingers.

            _I’m in someone else’s body,_ Ash realized. _Is this someone else’s memory?_

            He felt long hair brush against his face, as he—or whoever he was sharing a memory with—suddenly took a sharp turn down an intersecting alley. They skidded to a stop shortly after, right in front of the tall, metallic mesh fence that blocked their path.

            Ash could feel his—could he call it his?—heartbeat accelerate. Whoever’s body this was, it was apparently a bit beaten up, and they were _terrified_. They looked about slightly, possibly trying in vain to find some way to get a boost up and climb over the fence.

            They cursed bitterly, grasping at their bleeding arm. They turned around at the sound of rapid footsteps in the rain.

            A tall man with chin-length blue-green hair—wet and tussled from the rain—in a black Team Rocket uniform came to a stop a few feet front of them. His eyes were a cold, light teal, narrowed in a calm fury, and he had a wide but clean scar down across his left eye. He was carrying a whip, the handle firmly in his right hand with the end loosely wrapped around the left. A smirk spread across his face.

            “Nowhere left to run now, little punk.” He chuckled darkly. “Now it’s time for you to pay.”

            The beat-up “little punk” told the Rocket what _he_ could do to himself.

            “Looks like the girl taught you some rather foul language before she died, huh, kid?” The Rocket scorned them. He flexed the whip in his hands. “Pity she didn’t teach you some _manners_ , too.”

            “She did.” The kid paused to spit out a small chunk of blood. “She just taught me that bastards like you don’t deserve them.”

            The Rocket made a loud growl-like sound, before lashing out with the whip.

            Ash felt a surge of sharp pain from where it made contact with the left side of his neck. _Or… the person’s neck_ , he corrected himself. _Whatever_. They stiffened from the blow, automatically placing a hand over the wound, blood seeping in between his fingers.

            _Who is this kid?_ Ash thought. _Why is this Rocket beating him to death?_

            “It’s a shame she never taught you how to fight.” The Rocket flexed the whip to allow the rain to wash some of the blood off. “I do enjoy getting to play with my food, but I prefer my prey to actually _play_ and not just _bark_ at me. I mean, I never did get revenge for almost losing my eye. I guess I’ll just have to make sure I take _yours_ , instead.”

            Ash felt the kid lower his hands, tightening them into shaking fists. His vision blurred, and he could feel their heart pounding against their ribcage and their knees trembling.

            “I might die here,” he spoke calmly. “I may just be a little kid compared to you, but things are not always as they seem.” Ash felt a realization pierce him as the kid continued. “Even a dying Eevee can still bite.” He spat another chunk of blood into a puddle of rainwater at his feet. _I will not die like a coward,_ his voice echoed in Ash’s mind. _Not like this._

            The Rocket’s confused expression turned to shock as the kid suddenly charged at him. He raised his whip again.

            Before either could make contact with the other, Ash felt himself jerked back into his own body—sort of—and into Death’s presence again.

            Ash found himself suddenly breathless and tried to recover as his looked back up to the cloaked figure. Next to Death stood another figure, also shrouded in black, though he was semi-transparent like Hikaru had been. Ash could see some of the long, red hair flowing out from under the hood, but the face was otherwise almost entirely obscured.

            _The kid who led me to the Shrine_ , Ash realized. _Was that his memory? Was that how he died?_

            “No, Ashura,” Death responded. “This child still lives. You can see him here because, much like Hikaru, he has managed to avoid his destined demise. Hikaru may share the record for avoiding me—along with the Traitor—but this boy’s defiance is also worthy of note.”

            “How long has he been…?” Ash didn’t know how to phrase it without risking offending Death.

            “Over sixteen years.” As soon as the words were said, the image of the cloaked boy vanished again.

            “I still don’t understand. Why did you show me that?” Ash asked.

            “There are many reasons to show you his memories.” Death looked away. “Most are beyond your understanding, at least at present. However, it was perhaps the best way to teach you about fear. And courage.”

            “But, how was that brave at all?” Ash asked. “He was terrified; he’d been running for his life and only fought back because he was cornered.”

            “You don’t understand.” Death looked at him again. “Fearlessness is not bravery. To act without any fear in your heart is mere recklessness. All it will bring is pain. Recklessness ultimately _breeds_ fear. It is those who act _despite_ their fears that are truly courageous.”

            “You mean…?”

            “By denying your fear, you are acting out of cowardice, not bravery. Accept your fears, and admit to them. Only then, can you find the strength of heart to face them. Some things are more important than fear. What do you fear?”

            The image of Misty and Pikachu, bloody and dying, came unbidden to Ash’s mind.

            “The death of your loved ones is not a fear to be ashamed of,” Death said gently. “If there is any fear to feel guilty over, that certainly is the furthest from it.”

            “But…” Ash started. The memory of the dagger in his hand flashed again.

            “Nor is the fear of being _responsible_ for it. On the contrary, this fear may be what keeps you whole. This fear, the fear of _causing_ pain is the biggest difference between you and your foe. You master fear by learning how to use it, how to make it fuel your courage, not by burying it.”

            “I don’t…”

            “We are out of time.” Death interrupted.

            Ash felt the waves of pain surge through him. The white voice swirled into darkness as the shapes of the Shrine began to rematerialize.

            “Remember your fear.” Death’s fading voice called out to him. “Remember to accept it.”

            _I…_ Ash tried to think through the pain. Could it be right? _Maybe,_ Ash decided. _Maybe… it’s okay. Maybe it’s okay to be scared. Maybe…_ He thought again of the sight of his dying friends, the sight of his father practically begging his son to kill him, the feel of a—

            Ash shook his head.

            _Maybe I really am just afraid. Maybe. Maybe that_ is _okay. I… can try to accept that._

_I am scared. Maybe that’s what will make me brave, after all._

The pain suddenly stopped. His vision slowly returned to normal. Ash didn’t remember falling, yet he found himself on his back, staring at the ceiling. He looked at his hand. The Ghost Orb sat in his palm, the colors swirling in a soothing pattern. He lifted his left hand, and the Gauntlet shimmered into view on it. Ash brought the new Orb to it, the ancient sphere automatically shrinking to allow him to place it in its slot. He took a moment to look at the Orbs.

            _Eight. The first circle’s done now, too. I think Nyx mentioned that Steel would be next. Good. Should be a more… simple Element. None of this mental…emotional…thinking…mess. Yeah._ He sighed. _Even in my head, I sound like an idiot, don’t I?_

            He slowly got back to his feet.

            “Now, how do I get out of here?” Ash asked. “I’m not supposed to try to climb up that first hole I fell through. Right?”

            A loud laugh sounded right behind him, causing Ash’s entire body to stiffen reflexively, his eyes widening. After a moment, he slowly turned his head slightly to look behind him—and directly into a large pair of red eyes.

            “AAAAAAAAHAAHAAAAGH!” Ash yelled, as he twisted his body around so he could leap back and away from the Gengar who had just materialized. “Drogo!” He placed his right hand on his chest in a vain attempt to get his heart to calm down. “H—how—? How long… have you been there?”

            “Long enough.” Drogo chuckled, before vanishing from sight again. “I’m here to take you back. Now, stay still.”

            “What? Why?” Ash managed to ask, before he felt something grab him from behind and start lifting him up. “Drogo, what—no! The ceiling!” He managed to yell, fidgeting desperately in the Gengar’s grip as they flew up to the ceiling.

            And right through it.

            “I’m a Ghost, remember?” Drogo chuckled again. “I can pass through walls and ceilings.”

            “What about me?” Ash was starting to feel disorientated, as they passed through several floors, not all of them lit.

            “I’m also the Ghost _Sage_ ,” Drogo’s voice became much more serious. “I have power enough to share some of my more basic abilities now and then. Especially with the Chosen One.”

            _Sure_ , Ash decided. _Whatever. It’s an answer. I’m just happy to be given one, finally._

            “Here we are!” Drogo stopped suddenly. Before Ash could even take in his surroundings, let alone ask any of the dozen questions swirling in his head, the Ghost Sage simply let go of Ash. The teenage boy cried out as he fell, the sound being cut off when he landed onto something hard and—judging from the sound—wooden, his face instead landing in something soft, textured, and somewhat warm.

            “Good morning,” A familiar voice said in an irritated sigh. “If you wanted some breakfast, all you had to do was say something.”

            Ash lifted his head out of the goop—oatmeal?—and looked at the Lucario seated at the table right in front of him. She held a book in one hand and a fork with a bite of fried egg in the other. Her narrowed eyes and slight frown suggested that she wasn’t at all amused by the Gengar’s little prank.

            “You okay?” Misty asked from where she sat, to Aura’s left.

            Ash looked around. The Gengar had practically thrown him onto the table in one of the Temple’s dining areas. He’d been fortunate to miss most of the plates and bowls of food placed on it—except for the oatmeal that he’d fallen face-first into. Nyx sat on a bench on the opposite side of the table from the others, one paw firmly on Jerzy’s tail to keep the Rattata from running off. Pikachu was seated on Misty’s shoulder, his head tilted at his trainer.

            “When you said you would go pick the dolt up and drop him off here,” Aura continued, “I didn’t know you meant _literally._ ” She placed her fork down and shot the Gengar a glare.

            Drogo simply laughed maniacally and vanished from sight again.

            “Creepy old bastard,” Aura muttered, grabbing some bread and taking a large, angry bite.

            Ash righted himself, sliding off of the table and standing back on the ground. A chunk of oatmeal dripped from his hair and into his eyes. Unable to see, he turned back to the table and reached for a napkin to wipe off his face. The cool feeling of metal against his fingers confirmed that he’d missed.

            “Dork.” Misty said, so that Ash could barely hear her. Louder, she added, “Let me get that.”

            Ash opened his mouth to protest, but his voice got caught in his throat when he felt her hand rest on his shoulder. He stood, frozen as she wiped the oatmeal off with a napkin. Heat spread across his face, only intensifying when the napkin finished the job by brushing against the side of his jaw.

            “There,” Misty said, apparently oblivious to his flustered state. “You’re almost acceptable now.”

            Pikachu chuckled from her shoulder.

            Ash blinked, staring. He felt as if an anvil had been dropped onto his head. But, instead of it making him more confused, something finally seemed to make sense, if only a little. Misty and Pikachu were both here. Together.

            _Alive._

Misty tensed when he suddenly pulled her and Pikachu into a tight hug.

            _They’re alive. They’re okay._

            He sighed in relief.

            “Ash?” Misty asked in surprise. “Are you okay?”

            “Pikapi?”

            “Uh,” Ash let go just as suddenly, “yeah. Y—yeah. I’m good. So. Food!” Ash turned to the table and sat at the bench. He quickly started to reach for different foods, putting them on his plate. “Breakfast. Eating. I like food. Yeah.”

            “You’re rambling nonsense again.” Aura didn’t look away from her book.

            “So.” Ash looked up at Nyx, desperate for a change in conversation. “Where are we going next?” 


	32. Amity

The wind blew gently in the late afternoon air, rustling the grass on the hillside overlooking the forest. The gust also rippled in the Lucario's jacket as she took it off and lazily tossed it onto a nearby boulder. She exhaled deeply

_So glad to be out of that Temple,_ she admitted to herself _, and away from that mountain. Place gave me the creeps._

She looked out at the horizon. From her position on the hill, she could see down along the edge of the forest, down the path, past the fire of her group's camp, down to where the next town sat. It was around half a day's walk; it was too long to make it before the Pokémon Center's curfew, so they decided to make camp for the night.

Misty had gone to go fishing in a nearby stream—something about the conditions being just right—and Nyx was trying in vain to teach Ash how to cook properly. So, Aura had taken the opportunity to steal a few quiet minutes by herself.

_Besides,_  she thought,  _this gives me a chance to try some meditations or movement forms or something._ She looked at her hand spikes.  _Anything to try to fix whatever's wrong with my aura._

She relaxed her muscles, rolling her shoulders loose and shaking out her arms.

"Okay." She said. "Mom, don't let me down."  _Lord knows that your little chant is stupid enough without the possibility of this exercise being utterly pointless on top of it._

She took a stance, raising her hands. She slowly moved her arms around, gently sliding her foot a miniscule amount as she did.

_Normal breathes, Fighting survives, Flying lives._

She took a deep breath before continuing.

_Poison separates, Ground constructs, Rock solidifies._

She focused her mind on the movement of her muscles, slow and precise.

_Bug unifies, Ghost perpetuates, Steel immortalizes._

The only sounds in her world were the breath of the wind and the gentle crunch of the grass.

_Fire sears, Water quench—_

"Whadaya doin'?" A voice broke her concentration.

Her leg slid too far and she stumbled forward. She broke her fall with her hands, putting sharp pressure on her wrists. She cursed bitterly under her breath.

"You okay?" The intruder asked as he gripped her upper arms and gently lifted her up back to her feet.

"I'm fine, dolt," Aura growled, rubbing at her wrists. "You just screwed up my form, that's all."  _I guess Nyx gave up on teaching him how to cook for the night._

"Sorry," Ash muttered, running a hand through his hair. She had been right before—he was starting to really need a haircut. "I've never seen you do that before. What type of form is it?"

"An exercise form." Aura wasn't interested in a conversation. She returned to her last stance.

_Fire sears, Water quenches, Grass cultivates._

"Does it do anything special?" Ash's voice cut through her meditation. "Where did you learn it?"

"In order," Aura said through her clenched jaw, "not really, it just allows me to stretch my muscles and practice feeling the course of energy through my body; and, my mother taught it to me when I was a hatchling."

"Why haven't we seen you practice it before?"

"Because, I haven't felt the need to practice it in a while." Aura closed her eyes, trying to tune him out.

_Electric spurs, Psychic perceives_ —

"So, it helps you feel the flow of energy?" Ash's voice caused her to slip slightly again.

She lowered her hands.

"Yes."

"You mean, like the Elements?"

" _Yes._ "

"Could that help me?"

Aura froze for a brief moment, then turned and looked at him.

"What?" Her voice was soft.

"Could that help me with the whole 'Chosen One, Master of the Elements' thing? Make me better at whatever it is they want me to do? Maybe even help me understand my Pokémon and make me a better trainer?"

"It's possible," Aura grumbled, looking away. "I mean, for a normal person, who can understand it." She rubbed at the back of her neck.

"Can you teach me?" Ash asked.

"Why?"

"I want to be better. Not just as the Chosen One, either."

Aura looked at him for a long moment. He smiled at her, and she gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I can't stop you from trying to mimic my motions or anything," she grumbled dismissively. She returned to her previous stance, continuing her form.

_Electric spurs, Psychic perceives, Ice allays._

She opened one eye to a slit, glancing at him briefly from the corner.

Ash's arms were raised, and his were legs slightly spread one in front of the other in an awkward imitation of Aura's pose. She repressed a sudden desire to smile. She closed her eye and continued through her form.

_Dragon soars, Dark evaluates, Light ascends._

_Whatever that's supposed to mean. Thanks for the riddle, Mom._ Aura thought to herself.  _Wait. I'm supposed to be concentrating. Damn it. I can't let the dolt rub off on me._

She opened one eye to look at him again.

She was torn between groaning in frustration and laughing. His stance was completely wrong; his legs were too far apart, his right foot was turned too much, his arms were way too stiff, and he was swaying back and forth from the resulting poor center of balance. She exhaled deeply through her teeth.

"Your stance is off." She straightened her own back into a normal stand. She walked over towards him.

"What?" Ash blinked at her.

She kicked his leg back towards the other. His balance seemed instantly solved, and he stopped swaying. She circled around behind him.

"Your stance is off," she repeated. She pressed gently against his back, coaxing him to straighten it more. "Your arms are all wrong, too." She reached around from behind, gently guiding his arms in to a more natural position. "They're way too stiff, too. Relax."

"O—okay."

She let go and walked back around to his front, standing diagonally in front with her back facing him. She took the first stance again.

"Like this." Her voice remained calm. "Keep your muscles relaxed. Don't tense up; that will only keep it from doing anything, and might even result in pulled muscles or something." She moved through the first set. "Don't move anymore than you need to, and don't rush. It should flow. Make it natural. If you force it, you're defeating the purpose. With enough concentration, you should be able to feel the energy move through you as each muscle moves in turn."

"Feel the what?" Ash asked.

_With enough concentration,_  Aura's own voice echoed in her mind.  _Remember who you're dealing with._ "Right. Too much too soon. For now, just try to not screw up the motions. We'll get to the spiritual side of things when— _if_  you're capable of handling them."

"I feel like I should be offended by that."

Aura chuckled lightly. "Not everyone can grasp the spiritual side of this type of thing. Even I can barely understand it. But, you're the Chosen One. You are supposed to have the Elements already coursing through you. I'm sure that, if you try hard enough, you'll be able to feel  _something_."  _No matter how thick you normally are._ "But, like I said, just try to get the motions for now. Baby steps, and all that. Now, shut up and focus."

She continued through the motions again, looking back at Ash now and then to give him brief fragments of advice. Sometimes his elbows needed to be brought closer in to his body, or his legs were too spread apart. Finally, his feet were turned inward at a highly awkward angle, and he fell forwards into her, knocking them both to the ground. Aura barked as a brief flash of pain spread through her chest from her spike. She swore bitterly under her breath.

"Sorry," Ash mumbled.

"Oh, just get off me." Aura jabbed at him with her elbow. "You're heavy."

"Sorry," Ash repeated, scrambling off her and to his feet. "Here." He offered a hand down to her. "Let me help."

"I don't need your help." She glared at him as she sat up on her knees.

"I know."

Aura looked at Ash for a long moment. He gave her a wide grin and she sighed. She reached up, took his hand, and allowed him to pull her up to her feet. Unfortunately, it also brought her very close to him, her chest spike brushing lightly against his shirt. Their eyes locked in a shared, dumbfounded expression.

"Am I interrupting something?" Misty's voice startled both of them. She was standing a few feet down the hill from them, a small bundle of firewood under one arm. She was looking at them with a single eyebrow raised.

Aura pushed herself away from Ash, stumbling for a moment in her rush to get away from him.

"What?" Ash tilted his head in confusion.

"Ab—absolutely not!" Aura yelled. "This dolt was just interrupting my exercise forms and mediations, th—that's all!"

"Yeah, I—wait!" Ash turned to the Lucario. "I was  _not!_  I was just  _helping_  you!"

"I didn't  _need_  your help!" Aura snapped back. "Besides, it was your fault in the first

place!"

"My fault?"

"It's always your fault! And it always will be!" Aura couldn't stop the rage that was suddenly boiling in her chest. "You're not strong, or smart, or  _anything_! You're a reckless idiot and you're only going to get yourself killed! Or worse,  _everyone else!_ "

Aura looked up to glare at him, straight in the eye, but her expression cooled instantly when she saw his. The horror on his face sent a jolt through her chest; his eyes wide with his eyebrows curved in a distressed angle, his mouth slightly open as if he was trying to force himself to say something. He looked back and forth between Aura and Misty, his expression twisting deeper and deeper into agony each time. After a long moment, he made a strange sound—something a bit like a cough—before he turned and ran down the hill and into the forest.

Aura fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands.

_Damn it!_  She exhaled through gritted teeth.  _Why did I say that? That wasn't fair. He didn't deserve that. Why did I say that?_

"Aura?" Misty walked up to the Lucario. "What the hell was that?"

"I screwed up." Aura sighed, letting go of her face and letting her arms fall limp against her body. She looked up to the sky. "Go after him."

"Huh?"

Aura looked at her. "Go after him," she repeated. "I don't think my apology is what he needs to hear right now. I'd only make things worse; I think you can make this better."

Misty dropped her firewood and started after him, before stopping and half-turning back to Aura.

"What about—?" She started.

"I'll be fine," Aura cut her off. "Go on, forget me and fix your boyfriend."

"He's not my—!"

"Go," Aura said in little more than a whisper.

Misty nodded once at her, before turning back and running downhill and into the forest after her best friend.

Aura watched until the teenager was out of sight. The Lucario then grabbed at her ears with both hands, and let out an animalistic howl.

…

…

Ash sat against the tree, staring at his old hat in his hands. The light of the setting sun shone down through the treetops upon his face, illuminating the absentminded stare in his dark blue eyes.

"Ash?" A voice cut through his thoughts.

"Misty?" Ash looked up, his gaze locking hers for a brief moment.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think she was right?" Ash continued to stare at his old hat.

Misty sat down next to him. "Aura didn't mean that. She's just…. She's just confused, really."

"I just..." He kneaded the cloth in his hands. "I just don't know why I agreed to this insanity anymore."

"Because you never back down from a challenge?" Misty offered with a smirk.

"Yeah..." Ash muttered.

"Hey," Misty bumped his shoulder with hers. "Cheer up. It's not like you to be like this."

"What, to be serious once in a while?"

"To be so down on yourself." Misty clarified. "C'mon, where's your over-inflated ego?"

"Over-inflated?" Ash turned to grin at her.

"Yes, Ash," she chuckled. "You always were too confident for your own good."

"So," Ash stood up, "you don't think I can do this?"

"I  _know_  you  _can_." She stood up next to him.

"How can you be so sure?" Ash looked away. "How do you know I won't screw this up? That I'm  _not_  going to get us all killed?"

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're my best friend, Ashura Ketchum," She smiled softly. "I trust you with my life."

"Misty." Ash wasn't sure what to say. The memory of the illusion Misty from the Ghost Test emerged unbidden in his mind. Heat spread across his face. Did he...was he... _could_  he? "Thanks," he finally settled on saying, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Back at ya."

They walked, side by side, back towards camp.

"Actually," Ash suddenly stopped. "I think I owe you mine."

"What do you mean?" Misty stopped and turned to face him.

"From the day I met you...you've been saving my life. I never really noticed...until just now. I..." Ash tried to find the words.

"Ash," Misty walked back towards him. "You've saved  _my_  life plenty of times. We're even."

Ash looked at her, but said nothing.

"Really, Ash," Misty assured him. "You owe me nothing."

"Misty," Ash finally found his voice. "I…I don't know…how…what…say…"

"Just cheer up," Misty grinned. "And tell me I'm dead."

"What?" Ash was a little confused now. "Why…?"

Taking his hat from his hands, Misty took off through the forest.

"Hey! Give me my hat back!"

"Gotta catch me first!"

Ash gave a light chuckle. "Okay, then. Not sure how cheering me up means stealing my hat, but okay." He started after her.

Despite a couple of close calls with a few small trees that Ash could have sworn leapt out at him—and one particularly large stump that he ran into and tumbled over—Ash managed to accelerate enough to catch back up. He didn't notice in time, however, that she was now stopped at the edge of a slight drop overlooking a creek.

She looked back at him, just in time to watch as he barreled into her, his arms wrapping around her torso in a hug.

"Gotcha!"

"Ash, the-!"

Ash's momentum knocked them both over, sending them down the two foot drop into the creek with a loud splash.

"Creek," Misty finished.

Ash had let go during the fall, and they landed right next to each other instead of on top of each other. He lifted his face out of the water, expelling some from out of his mouth, his hair dripping like a waterfall. He had landed face-first, whereas Misty had landed mostly on her side.

"Are you okay?" Ash turned sharply to try to see her through his hair, spraying water everywhere. It really had been a while since his last haircut.

"I'm fine." She smiled. "Are  _you_  okay?" She helped him get some of his hair out of his eyes.

"Fine," He managed to mutter, mildly stunned, heart racing from her touch.  _How does she do that?_  He took his hat from the bottom of the creek, and placed it on her head sideways, dumping water on her head as he did. "You dork," he chuckled.

" _I'm_  a dork?  _You're_  the one that just soaked me!"

"Then I guess we're even again." He grinned.

"Even?" She grabbed his shirt by his shoulder.

_Shit_. Ash's heart skipped a beat.  _Did I make her mad?_

She jerked her hand—and, by extension,  _him_ —to the side, dunking Ash back down under the water briefly.

"Why did you—?" Ash started, narrowing his eyes from the new torrent of water dripping from his hair.

" _Now_  we're even," Misty chuckled.

"Ungh." Ash spat out another mouthful of creek water. "If this creek runs into the sea, then why isn't it salty?" He wondered out loud.

"Really, Ash?" Misty almost sounded insulted. "You've been best friends with a Water Master for how long and you don't know that  _fresh_  water runs from inland sources  _into_  the ocean, not salt water the other way around?"

"I'm a trainer, not a biologist." Ash defended himself.

" _Biologist?_ " Misty echoed skeptically. Was he  _intentionally_  being that dense, or did he  _really_  not know?

Granted, he never had been very good with a dictionary, but—

"And, since when do I know  _any_  Water Masters?" He smirked, squeezing some of the excess water from his hair. "I only seem to remember a scrawny wannabe!"

"Scrawny wannabe?" Misty scowled. "You sure you don't mean yourself, Mr. Pokémon Master?"

"I'm not scrawny," Ash readjusted himself to sit cross-legged in the creek. "My Pokémon aren't the only ones that I've been training, remember? I'm plenty strong myself."

"You sure?" Misty smirked. "So, then, why are Aura and Nyx still beating the daylights out of you every time you train with them?"

"I…" Ash blinked. "I go easy on them."

"You…go easy…on them?"

"Y-yeah." Ash nodded, perhaps too energetically. "I mean, I  _am_  the Chosen One. I could quite easily take them. Both of them. At the same time."

"Rrright." Misty didn't buy it. "You could take down the Head Aide of the Dark Temple, and an unusually large Lucario with great Psychic power."

"That's right."

"Please, Ash," Misty chuckled. "You couldn't beat  _me_  if your life depended on it."

"I  _could_  so!"

"Then prove it!"

"I…I don't want to." Ash shook his head, a few drops of excess water flying from his hair.

"Afraid you'll lose, O mighty Chosen One?"

"No way! I'm just…too…much of a gentleman to, uh…."

Misty burst out laughing. " _You_? A gentleman? Next thing, you'll be trying to convince me that you have an urge to dress in a tux and take Aura to a ball."

"I  _am_!" Ash retorted.

Misty gave him a strange look.

"A gentleman, I mean." He clarified. "I would never be caught dead at a ball; I don't think Aura would, either. And besides, even if I did fight you, I  _am_  the Chosen One. I have the powers of  _eight_  Elements now, including Fighting, in case you've forgotten. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

Thump!

Misty suddenly tackled him, knocking him over onto his back, pinning him down, and soaking both of them once more.

"Oh, come on." Misty locked his gaze in hers. "You know you could never hurt me."

_That's…not true, though, is it?_  Ash couldn't stop looking in her eyes. In them, he could see the image of the illusion of her from the Ghost Temple, dying in a puddle of blood.  _I…I_ could _hurt you, couldn't I? Or, worse,_ get _you hurt. And…I think… you could hurt_ me _, too. I guess…_ we _can hurt_ each other.  _Is that it? Why? What is_ happening  _to me? To_ us?

"Ash?"

"Oh, yeah?" Ash smirked, refusing to admit his confusion. He pressed upward, pushing his hands against her shoulders, freeing himself from under her. He tried to turn the tables and pin her to the ground. However, she caught onto his plan too quick and simply leaned to her left, causing him to overbalance and fall face first into the creek again.

"Pretty much, yeah." Misty chuckled in light amusement.

Rather than frustration, Ash found himself chuckling with her as he shook water from his hair again. He turned back towards her, and tried to lunge himself at her and use his weight to overpower her. But, before he could complete his attack, she grabbed his shirt and turned her torso as she pushed him to the side.

Still laughing, they continued to struggle in their playful wrestling match for a few minutes, neither one quite coming out on top. Every time Ash would try to use his pure strength to overwhelm her, Misty would outmaneuver him with some clever trick. Yet, he refused to stay down and admit defeat.

Eventually, Ash managed to break Misty's hold from pinning him down once more, but instead of trying to win, he just sat in an awkward pose, laughing uncontrollably. Misty could no longer focus, either, supporting her equally-weird kneel with her right hand on Ash's shoulder. In their laughter, they forgot about the Prophecy and the Elemental Orbs; they forgot all about the quest they were on, and that it would have to end one day.

For a brief moment, it was as if they had never been apart, as if they had never gone separate ways. They were the inseparable, unbeatable duo who had accomplished so much together, who had brought down so many evils together, and solved so many mysteries.

"Mist." Ash finally managed to get his laughter under control, his eyes still clenched shut from the pain the uncontrollable chuckling had caused his stomach. He felt something brush against his nose as her laughter stopped as well. Her nose? How close…?

How close…. How close were…were they….?

He gingerly reached out and gently rested his hand where the back of her jaw met her neck, her earlobe brushing against his pointer finger. He couldn't think anymore. All he could feel was her skin against his palm, her breath on his face. He didn't really notice what he was doing as he tilted his head to the right slightly and lightly pressed his lips against hers.

It took a fraction of a second for the shock to wear off, for Misty to comprehend what was happening, her eyes opening wide at the realization. His lips felt gentle, wet from the creek. It was a bit awkward, not at all like in books or her sisters' stories. It wasn't passionate or desperate. It wasn't uncomfortable or bad, either. It  _was_  pleasant, at least somewhat. It was just…strange.

It was Ash.

About two seconds after he had made contact, Ash broke apart from her. It still hadn't fully sunk in his mind what he'd just done.

"Mist, I…" He trailed off, his eyes widening as it suddenly hit him. "Oh. My.  _God_!" He backed away from her as fast and as best as he could, splashing water around. He stumbled backwards when he reached the edge of the creek, but he continued to retreat. He eventually hit the trunk of a tree, but kept trying to move backwards, as if his back could melt into the bark. "M—Misty… I… I'm sorry. I… I sh—shouldn't have…." The temperature in his face rose. He couldn't look at her, yet he couldn't bear to look away.

Her expression seemed somewhat blank. She simply stared, as if she couldn't quite grasp that… that  _that_  had  _really_  just happened.

A realization came over him. He had  _wanted_  that. Not his body or his hormones. Well, they  _had_ , but that wasn't the point. It was  _him_  who had wanted….  _He_  did that, because  _he_ had wanted to. It finally made sense. The Misty Echo during the Ghost Test had kissed him because the whole thing had been created from his subconscious. Because he had wanted it _._

_Ash_  had wanted to kiss  _Misty_. And he had  _kissed_  her.

And, despite the fact that she was probably going to kill him for doing so once already, despite the fact that he was probably never going to forgive himself for  _one,_  he wanted to kiss her  _again_.

"I'm sorry." He hung his head.

How could he have done something so  _stupid?_  He bit down against his lower lip. How could he have… just destroyed a perfect moment with his best friend like that? And, could he have destroyed  _more_  than that?  
Ash heard sounds of water splashing, but couldn't look up to see what direction Misty was going. He'd messed up. Big time. He didn't deserve to know if she'd forgive him. If she ever would, or even could. Not yet.

Misty staggered to her feet and took a few steps back, the fact still distilling in her mind.

_Ash… Ash kissed me?_  She gently brought two fingers to her lips. She still wasn't sure if it had been real. Yet, it had to have been. She could still feel his lips against hers, as brief as that contact had been.  _Ash… kissed me._

Misty turned and ran.

She only took off for a few seconds before she stopped just as suddenly.

_What am I doing?_  She shook her head.  _Why am I running from this?_ She glanced over her shoulder.  _Ash… Ash was…_ is _clearly far more scared than… than I am… was. I don't even know._

_Didn't_ I  _want that, anyway? Haven't I, for… a long time, now? Why am I running now that… that it really… really_ is _happening?_

_Why am I so scared?_

She turned back towards where she'd left Ash. She started back the way she came, her legs heavy and difficult to get moving

_It's_ not _that hard._ Aura's voice echoed in her mind.  _You like him. He_ might _like_ you _. Running only brings regret, and regret only brings pain._

Misty took a few steps back to Ash. His gaze was still fixed to the ground directly in front of him. He didn't seem to notice anything around him.

She took a deep breath and walked back in front of him.

She slowly raised her hand and, her arm shaking, placed it on his shoulder. The touch seemed to break his dark trance, and he glanced upward at her, though he didn't raise his head much to do so.

"Ash," she breathed. She managed a small smile. "You don't have to be scared."

"I'm not—!" Ash automatically started to retort weakly.

He was unable to respond further, though, due to Misty gently grabbing his neck and pressing her lips against his.

It was not intoxicating, and it certainly didn't make his world spin. In fact—in the brief moment that their lips were reunited—he wondered why people said silly things like that about kissing. Granted, he  _did_  realize that it wasn't  _horrible_ , to say the least, and he  _did_ have trouble focusing on anything but the gentle touch. He closed his eyes, and gave up on his feeble attempts to continue thinking.

It was Misty.

Before he could act further, she broke away. He instinctively grabbed her arm as she let go of his neck, but made no other motion. He didn't even bother to open his eyes again. All he could do was to continue inhaling and exhaling, and try to thread a complete thought together again.

"Now we're even again," Misty said softly.

_She… kissed me… back_ , Ash's mind slowly recovered. He opened his eyes, staring at her in disbelief.  _She kissed me_ back _._  The words echoed in his mind. He blinked slowly for a few moments.

_Say something!_ A voice rather similar to Aura's scolded him silently.

"Misty…" Ash eventually found his voice.

Ash's stomach rumbled, breaking the spell entirely. Misty chuckled, and Ash released her arm. He looked away, his face turning a deep red.

"We should get back before the others start to worry." She sighed, before walking back towards camp. "And don't forget your hat," she called back over her shoulder.

"Huh?" Ash glanced over to where it lay in the creek.  _It must've fallen back in the water sometime before we…._  He slowly stumbled back to it, and picked it up, wringing the water out absent-mindedly.

What was happening?

Ash put the hat back on for a moment, fidgeting with it, before taking it off again and kneading it anxiously.

He took a step back towards camp, but his knee refused to hold his weight and he tumbled forward into the creek again.

_Okay,_  Ash thought to himself as he attempted to recover.  _Okay. It's just walking, right? I can still walk. I can walk._ He repeated the words as he forced his legs to move, despite how heavy they felt and how much they shook.  _It's just left, then right. Right? Maybe? Right, then left? No, it's definitely left, then right, right, right_ — _shit, no!_  He managed to keep from falling.  _I can_ do _this! Why is this so hard all of a sudden?_

He eventually managed to stagger out of the forest and back into camp. The first thing he noticed was that Misty, Aura, and Jerzy were all working at the cooking pot over the campfire. The Lucario and masked Rattata were arguing over something—likely how to cook the stew. Misty's back was to him as she apparently tried to settle the argument. Pikachu was seated on her shoulder, watching them in silence.

"Hey, Ash," Nyx's voice caused him to jump. "You okay?"

"Fine!" Ash barked, praying like crazy that his face wasn't as red as it felt. "I'm just fine! Wonderful, in fact! What's up? When's—when are we—food?" He forced himself to not look in the direction of the campfire—and Misty—to keep his gaze solely on the shiny Umbreon before him.

Nyx raised an eyebrow briefly, twitching an ear, before returning to his usual grin.

"Well, if those two ever stop arguing, I'd say in maybe half an hour or so." Nyx looked over at them. "Aura does seem to fight with him an awful lot, even for her."

"Well," Ash still refused to look over at them, "if he can direct her anger away from the rest of us, then I think it's worth putting up with him."

"Not to mention, he's kinda paying for half our food lately."

Ash started to respond, but his stomach growled again.

Nyx looked at Ash.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ash insisted through gritted teeth.  _I mean, apparently we're going to act like nothing happened. I'm not sure why, but okay. I mean, I'm not sure how to act like it_ did _happen, anyway. I just have no clue what's going on anymore._

"To hell with it!" Ash tensed at the sound of Aura yelling behind him. "I give up!"

Ash turned to see the Lucario storming off into the forest, slipping her jacket on with an angry huff as she disappeared into the trees. He took a deep breath, drawing out the exhale as long as he could.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," he said to Nyx, as he started after her.

"You sure?" Nyx called after him.

"I'm going to have to, eventually. Might as well get it over with."  _Besides_ , he added to himself,  _I'm feeling rather brave all of a sudden._  He scratched nervously at his neck as he continued to stumble back into the forest.

His legs started to function properly again as he navigated around the trees, some of them fallen, and the occasional stump. He eventually found Aura, the Lucario leaning back against the trunk of a particularly think tree, angled just within his view but unable to see him. She appeared to be staring at the palms of her hands.

"Aura?" Ash hesitated.

She tensed, looking up and around sharply. She froze for a moment when she saw him. Her expression quickly sobered, and she looked away again.

"Hello." Her voice was level.

"So… are you o—?"

"I'm sorry." He could barely hear her.

"What?" Ash blinked.  _Did she just_ —?

"I didn't mean it," she said, louder. "I was just…. I didn't—I got—it was…." She struggled to try to finish a sentence, before sighing. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." Ash walked over towards her. "Can we just… start over? Let go of all the fighting and anger and whatever? Pretend that all of that never happened?" He raised a hand, offering it to her.

Aura looked at him for a long moment, not saying anything. Her expression remained calm and reserved for most of it, until her eyebrows eventually curved in a melancholy look. She sighed again, looking away.

"Aura?"

"My father's name was—is—Arcanus. He was part of a group of people who were working together—some of them undercover—to bring down Team Rocket. They were focused on how to safely get them to disband; they didn't want all those criminals to suddenly be loose without anyone controlling them at all, even if that person was—by default—a criminal as well."

"What…?" Ash blinked at her.

"Obviously," Aura continued, "we failed. Our leader was destroyed, overcome by the very evil he sought to control and defeat. I do not know where my father is. Presumably, he remains at his post, waiting hopelessly for a miracle that will never come. Our group is gone; a good deal of it is dead—or worse.

"When I was a Riolu, I tried to participate in a highly sensitive mission. I should have stuck to my own, but I knew what was going on, and I thought I could help. I was arrogant and foolish and  _reckless_. And, because my father had to focus on  _me_ , on making sure  _I_  was safe…" She trailed off, making a brief choking sound. "We lost two of our best agents that night. One of them was a good friend of mine. I watched the explosion that took their lives. It was my fault.  _I_   _killed them._ "

Ash looked at her. Other than her brief lapse and the last three words, her voice had remained calm and emotionless. Yet, even though she was trying to hide it, he could see the pained look in her eyes.

As what she said sunk in, something clicked in Ash's mind. He finally understood her, even if only a little bit.

He reached out, grabbed Aura's shoulder, and pulled her to him. Before she could make any protest, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Aura froze for a short while, as if she couldn't remember how to react.

"It's okay."

The words broke something in her; Aura started shaking and slowly, as if she had to struggle to get her limbs to work, raised her arms to hug him back.

…

…

"Brendan?" Wally said for the umpteenth time that day. "Brendan!  _BRENDAN!_ "

"Yeah, man?" Brendan looked back at his friend, tugging at the jacket of the tuxedo he was trying on. At the sound of a group of girls walking by and giggling, Brendan half-turned back again, shooting them a friendly smile.

"Could you please  _try_  to focus?" Wally scolded. "We should have been done  _two hours_  ago!"

"Yeah," Silver said weakly from a nearby chair. He was leaning back against it, his head pressed against the wall as he looked up at the ceiling. A black garment bag on a hanger was lying across his lap, the hanger's hook punched through the receipt. A similar bag was hanging over the back of the chair next to him.

"Not my fault you don't know how to have fun, anymore," Brendan said, turning back to face them with a large grin. The tuxedo he was trying on this time was a deep red. He pulled on a pair of white gloves as he walked back over to his friends. "You used to be fun, man. What the hell happened?"

"One of us had to grow up," Wally said. "Lord knows it wasn't going to be you."

"Hey, that's not fair. Just because I'm—"

"Frivolous? Excitable?  _Obnoxious?_ " Wally supplied.

"Uh," Brendan stammered. "Sure. A little harsh, but okay. Just because I have immature qualities, that doesn't mean that I'm immature as a whole."

"You did kinda spend the past hour trying on suits for the sole purpose of looking at yourself in the mirror," Silver pointed out, still not looking at them.

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Brendan defended himself. "I happen to take a little time to enjoy working on my appearance now and then."

"A little more often than that." Wally seemed to be holding back a laugh.

"Whatever. My point is, this makes me happy and harms absolutely no one. Hell, some people even enjoy  _helping_ me.  _You_  used to, Wally. Don't you remember?"

Wally sighed. He looked back at Silver.

"What's up?" Silver lowered his head to look at him.

"How are you holding up?"

"My back aches and I have a headache," Silver said honestly. They hadn't yet told Brendan about the attack—or Silver's wounds—and Wally didn't seem inclined to directly mention it to him, either. Nor did he seem eager to tell Brendan about what he'd discovered of Silver's family. Silver didn't know why—maybe Brendan didn't like rich kids or something. Either way, despite the occasional bit of blackmail, Wally didn't seem to press him for much. Silver had admitted that his father was the Baron—though he omitted the fact that said Baron was the leader of Team Rocket—and that he'd taken advantage of their little "trip" to Johto to finally run away.

Silver fiddled with the mask in his hand. His painkillers were wearing off already, and on top of the throbbing in his skull, there was a high-pitched static sound echoing in his ears as well.

"Alright, alright," Brendan groaned, raising his hands in defense. "I'll wrap it up." He gave an adjusting tug on the tux's jacket again. "What about this one? I think I'd be happy with this one. I mean, that last black one's quite snazzy, and certainly a classic, but this one stands out much more. I mean, a masquerade is about color and pizzazz, right? Plus, it'll go really well with that ruby-studded tie I got for my last birthday."

Silver turned sharply to stare at him. "What what-ed  _what_?"

"Are you surprised?" Wally muttered to him.

"Speaking of decisions," Brendan didn't hear him, "what did you end up choosing, Silver? The dark blue?"

"Yeah." Silver didn't exactly want to participate in this particular conversation.

"I thought so." Brendan grinned, looking at his gloves. "I thought that one really brought out your eyes; don't you agree, Wally?"

"Sure," Wally said quickly. "What mask are you thinking of getting to go with that?"

"I was thinking maybe a Scizor," Brendan said. He looked quickly at Silver. "As long as you don't mind me stealing your thunder, or something."

"Whatever." Silver almost smiled. "Doesn't matter to me. Go for it."

"Awesome!" Brendan grinned. "Thanks!"

"What did you get, anyway?" Wally asked, motioning towards the mask in Silver's hands. "I like the tribal design, don't misunderstand, but I have no clue what it's supposed to be."

"I know!" Brendan's face lit up. "It's blue and has angled eyes; it's clearly a Garchomp! Right? Or, maybe just Gabite?"

Silver gave a dry chuckle. "No, it's not." He held up the mask, looking at it for a moment, before turning it around to give the others a better look. "What it is… is a very long story."


	33. Metal

Water dripped down from the tip of the stalactite onto the Shiny Umbreon’s head. Nyx shook it, his ears flopping about noisily.

            “So,” Ash started, holding up the lantern to light their way down the cavern. “Why are all of these Temples underground, anyway?”

            “Think about it.” Nyx sidestepped another falling droplet. “The Temples have to be well-hidden, and in places that humans and other outsiders can’t easily stumble upon them. Until human technology advanced, the easiest way to do that was to hide them deep under the earth.”

            “Plus,” Aura added, blinking through a drop of water that had landed in her eye, “there’s the Traitor. The more above-ground Temples there are, the easier it would be for him to attack them, with or without his little monsters. By putting them underground, they have a natural defense that he can’t break through so easily. At least, not without alerting the Sage and other inhabitants to his presence.”

            “I guess that makes sense,” Ash said, handing the lantern to Misty while he made his way down the series of short but steep drops into the next series of caverns.

            “Besides,” Aura continued as she followed after him, “not _every_ Temple is hidden in a mountain or otherwise underground. The Light Temple isn’t.”

            “Light Temple?” Ash echoed.

            “Hikari’s Keep,” Aura clarified. “She wasn’t always the Light Sage, after all.”

            “Right.”

            “So, any idea where to go from here?” Misty asked, handing Ash back his lantern.

            “Not really,” Nyx admitted. “I just know that it’s somewhere in Granite Cave near Dewford Town in Hoenn. Beyond that, we’ll just have to stumble upon it ourselves, or have a member of the Temple find us.”

            “ _Like usual_ ,” Pikachu added as he leapt up onto his trainer’s shoulder.

            “So, we have to get lost again?” Misty asked. “I’m getting a little sick of getting lost in caves.”

            “I feel your pain.” Aura rubbed at her chest. “Is anyone having trouble breathing?”

            “Not really.” Ash looked at her.

            “You can’t breathe?” Misty reached out to her.

            “Not very well,” Aura admitted, refusing the hand. “I just need to sit down for a minute. I think I just got lightheaded from the stale air down here.” She staggered backwards a few steps before sitting down on a nearby rock.

            “H’ain’ chu used ta da way caves be?” Jerzy taunted, leaping up onto a groove in the stone wall. The Rattata adjusted his mask.

            “Shut up.” Aura grabbed a stone fragment and tossed it at him. The Rattata dodged the stone with ease. It ricocheted off the wall and deeper into the cavern. After a final, particularly loud collision, a loud yelp echoed throughout the cavern.

            “ _What was that?_ ” Pikachu asked.

            “Aron!” An Aron emerged from the darkness, barking at them in irritation. “Aron! Ar! Aron!”

            “Sorry.” Aura rubbed at the back of her neck. “I was trying to hit the rat.”

            “Our deepest apologies, friend.” Nyx gave the Steel type Pokémon a slight bow.

            “WHAT?” Aura shouted, as the rock she was sitting on suddenly rose and threw her to the ground.

            “Tang!” The Pokémon spun itself around, discarding the dirt that layered it body to reveal its blue coloring.

            “A Metang.” Aura rubbed at her lower back. “You could have just said something, you know.”

            “Tang!” The Metang hovered above the ground, pointing at Aura with a single arm. “Tang! Metang!”

            “I said I was sorry!” Aura got back to her feet. “Geez!”

            “Are you okay?” Ash walked over to her.

            “Fine,” Aura mumbled. She turned back to the Metang. “Actually, we’re trying to find someone. Could you help us? You’re part Steel, so….”

            “Yeah!” Nyx turned to join the conversation, his face lighting up. “His name is Eligio. He’s the Sage of the—!”

            Nyx was cut off by another rumbling sound, this one shaking the entire cavern violently. The Shiny Umbreon was barely able to stay on his feet; his bipedal companions weren’t so lucky. The lantern clattered to the ground as the others fell.

            “This crap again?” Aura yelled.

            “What’s going on?” Nyx shouted at the Metang. The blue Steel type Pokémon simply grabbed at the nearby wall, despite the force of the tremors causing its body to shake just as violently.

            Chunks of stone exploded in every direction as _something_ ripped through the stone floor several feet further into the caverns. One of the chunks hit Aura, just above her brow.

            “Oh, that’s _just_ what I needed right now.”

            A loud roar echoed through the cave as the trembling ceased. Ash looked up at the creature that had emerged from the new gaping maw in the stone. An Aggron slowly stood up, raising his head to glare down the path in front of him. Several other, smaller, Pokémon rose from the fissure to join him. The Aggron tilted his head as it saw Ash and the others, still mostly lying in a collective heap on the stone floor. He walked carefully over to them.

            “Terribly sorry about that,” he said in a quiet voice. He offered a single hand. “Is anyone hurt?”

            “I think we’re alright,” Ash said as they slowly got back on their feet.

            “Good.” The Aggron nodded once. “I do not have a lot of time, but would you be willing to tell me your names, and why you’re here in Granite Cave?”

            “I’m Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. I’m the Chosen One. I’m here to look for the Steel Temple.”

            The Aggron chuckled. “Consider it found, friend. I am Eligio, the Steel Sage. And, your companions?” He looked at the others.

            “I’m Misty, Leader of the Cerulean City Gym.”

            “Pi-Pikachu.”

            “I’m Nyx, Head Aide of the Dark Temple.”

            “Oh, yes,” Eligio said with a nod. “How could I forget? And, you, young miss?”

            “You can call me Aura. And,” she picked up the Rattata by the scruff of his neck, “this delinquent is Jerzy.”

            “Aura? Hikari’s charge?” Eligio asked. “Forgive me, but I didn’t even recognize you.”

            Aura said nothing.

            “I’m terribly sorry that I cannot give you a proper welcome right now; we seem to be under attack.”

            “The Traitor?” Nyx asked.

            Eligio looked at him for a long moment, before picking up the fallen lantern and handing it to Ash.

            “We’re not sure. Whatever it is, it’s not natural. That’s all we know.” He turned back to his own companions. “Erasmus. Nubia.”

            A Mawile and a Lucario—this one of average height, unlike Aura—stepped out of the shadows.

            “Yes?” The Mawile asked.

            “Please take young Ash and his friends to the Temple. And make sure that everyone remains on full alert until I return.”

            “Yes, sir!” The Mawile gave a sharp nod. “Come with us.” She turned and started back towards the gaping hole.

            “Milady,” the Lucario offered a hand to Aura with a smirk. He wore a frayed, bright blue ascot and had a jagged scar across his left eye.

            Aura looked down at him with a scowl. She was over a foot taller than him, making his attempts at false chivalry almost insulting.

            “Forgive our guest,” Eligio said with a deep sigh. “He’s been like this since he arrived. Erasmus, please behave yourself.” The Lucario gave an innocent shrug. Eligio rose to stand at full height. “Everyone else, please continue with me. We will stop the intruder.”

            “Wait!” Ash called after the Aggron, making him stop as several other Steel type Pokémon charged up the cavern. “If you’re going to fight, I want to help.”

            “No, Ash,” the Aggron said softly. “I appreciate the offer, but if it _is_ the Traitor, or one of his monsters, then you will only be putting yourself in danger. It is my job as a Sage to protect you and to guide you along your path. It would be remiss of me to allow you to fight when it’s not of the utmost necessity.”

            “But—!”

            “Let it go, Ash,” Aura said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He’s right. The last time we fought one of those monsters, it nearly tore us apart. Let them handle it.”

            Ash looked at her for a long moment before sighing.

            “Now, go to the Temple,” Eligio repeated. “We shouldn’t be long.”

            “Good hunting, sir!” The Mawile—Nubia—gave him a sharp salute, just before the Aggron charged up the cave towards the surface.

            “Nubia?” Nyx asked, as they followed the two Pokémon carefully down the new hole. “The name sounds familiar. Have we met?”

            “I have never left the island,” she said. “Though, I suppose it’s possible you may have heard my name mentioned once or twice. I am his current Head Aide.”

            “I thought Simin was the Head Aide,” Nyx said. “I remember meeting him the last time I was at Hikari’s Keep—er, the Light Temple.”

            “Simin was my brother.” Nubia accepted Erasmus’s help down a sharp drop into a tunnel lined with silver-colored brick instead of ragged stone.

            “Was?” Ash asked as he followed suit.

            “He’s dead.”

            Ash stumbled slightly. “I’m sorry.”

            “It is not your fault. The mutated minions of the Traitor have become more and more active in the Hoenn Region lately. A scout reported that a child was taken by one a few weeks back. Several other attacks have apparently occurred over the past months. My brother led a patrol across the ocean to find some solid evidence. He and another patrol member did not return.”

            “Simin means ‘silvery,’” Aura said suddenly. “And your name is Nubia. That means ‘gold,’ right?”

            The Mawile paused for a moment, before leading them down the new hallway, their path eventually illuminated by irregularly placed torches.

            “Yes,” she said quietly. “We were born into the same clutch.”

            “Silver and gold?” Ash blinked. He looked at Aura. “Why’d you ask that?”

            Aura blinked back at him, before shrugging. “I thought it was interesting. Names are powerful; they always having meaning.”

            “What about yours?” Nyx asked. “Why are you named Aura?”

            Aura chuckled. “I’m a Lucario.” She adjusted her backpack’s straps.

            “That’s not very original,” Erasmus muttered.

            “At least it doesn’t sound like it was ripped from ancient history,” Aura retorted.

            “Children,” Misty said with a groan. “Can we please not fight?”

            Aura turned back and pouted at her. When she was met with a look of disinterest, she turned to Ash.

            “Please?” Ash repeated, lowering his hand with the lantern. He started when his arm lightly brushed against Misty’s. He felt heat spread across his face, but forced his expression to remain blank and stared directly ahead.

            Aura raised an eyebrow at him in mild confusion, before turning back around.

            “If you would wait here,” Nubia stopped in front of a doorway on one side of the hallway. “This is one of the Sage’s personal rooms. There should be some food placed out on his table; feel free to help yourself while you wait. Once it is safe, the Sage will be with you.”

            “Arceus guide you,” Erasmus said with a slight bow, before the Lucario followed after the Mawile down the hallway and they turned out of sight.

            Ash exchanged a brief look with Misty.

            “Well, that was weird.” He scratched at the back of his head with his free hand.

            “Kin ya lemme down now?” Jerzy spat. “I’m startin’ ta lose da feelin’ in mah feet.”

            Aura blinked. She’d forgotten that she was still carrying him by the neck.

            “Sorry.” She put him down. “I guess we should go in, huh?”

            “Probably.” Ash nodded. He raised the lantern again to light their way as they entered the room.

            The walls were made of the same metallic bricks as the hallway. The room was long and rectangular, with a large fireplace and forge at the far end, a low fire still burning from the embers. Next to the forge was a large anvil; resting on top of it were an oversized hammer and what appeared to be a sword, though its blade was bent and warped. Several other weapons lay against the wall or hung from racks against it, each one glistening in the low firelight. Against the left wall was a small table with several platters of various sizes. Bread and several types of berries were laid out on the platters, and there was a tall, round steel pitcher.

            Aura looked up, at a weapon resting on a plaque above the fireplace: a sword sheathed in a highly detailed, tarnished gold scabbard. A dark blue sash flowed from the handle, ending in a lighter swirl pattern, the cloth splitting into four short strips. She walked over towards it, reaching out at the sash in curiosity.

            Pain seared through her arm to her chest. Her vision flashed blue and her throat refused to work. She made a choking sound, trying to breathe, and her world slowly turned purple before swirling to black.

            “Aura!” She heard a voice call out. She felt hands around her shoulders, lifting her up.

            “What the hell was that?” Aura blinked, her sight slowly returning to normal.

            “I think that touching that might be a bad idea,” Ash said, letting go of her left arm.

            “No kidding!” Aura slipped her right arm out of Misty’s grip. “I guess we should keep our curiosities in check, then.” _I know that pain…_ she thought to herself.

            “Hey, look!” Ash broke her trail of thought. “There’s Liechi Berries!” He picked up one of the white-and-orange, spherical berries from one of the platters. He started to bite into one, only to freeze with a pained expression.

            “You’re supposed to peel it first,” Misty said with a light chuckle.

            “Dolt,” Aura muttered to herself, shaking her head as she took a seat at the table.

            Ash looked down to hide how red his face was as he sheepishly peeled the small fruit before trying again. This time, the soft flesh of the berry filled his mouth with a sweet flavor.

            “I guess there’s not much else to do but wait,” Aura said, as she gathered a few berries and a chunk of bread onto a small plate.

            “You don’t think that the Traitor knows where this place is, do you?” Misty asked her, taking a seat next to Ash, on the other side of him from the Lucario.

            “He might have a vague idea of the general area,” Aura said. “But, I doubt that he knows exactly where. If it _is_ one of his monsters attacking us, then it’s probably a scout trying to find A—find us.”

            Ash and Misty looked at her for a moment, before exchanging glances.

            “Either way,” Nyx spoke up, “we can’t stay in one place for long. Except for large human cities. The high concentration of police and general trainers, as well as modern communication technology, will keep the Traitor from attacking us in a city. At least not directly.”

            “Why?” Ash asked through a mouthful of food.

            “The Traitor likely doesn’t have a very large force of Returned,” Nyx continued. “If he sent one, or even a small group, to attack a target in a city, there would be much more resistance and a much higher chance of one or more Returned being killed. Even if he succeeded in the short-term, he’d cause long-term problems by weakening his force _and_ by alerting the general public to their existence. More than that, human Trainers could figure out some weakness or strategy to fighting the monsters. Secrecy and surprise are the Traitor’s greatest weapons; a Returned often has a power granted to them by their master known as the Fear Gaze. It paralyzes the target in sheer terror. If we found a way to counter it… it would make life that much harder for the Traitor.”

            “So,” Aura said, “the bastard _does_ know fear. Here, I thought he was convinced that he was invincible.”

            “He probably still does,” Nyx admitted. “He likely just doesn’t want to make things harder on himself for no reason. He’s immortal, so he has plenty of time to be patient. He’s likely used that patience a lot over the eons.”

            “I say let him come,” Aura steepled and interlocked her fingers against her mouth. “I hate running away from a fight.”

            “You’re kidding, right?” Misty looked around Ash at her. “We barely chased off the last monster he sent after us, even with a Sage’s help. What if the next one is even stronger, or isn’t alone?”

            “What if the Traitor attacks us himself?” Nyx added.

            There was a long pause as everyone looked at the Shiny Umbreon.

            “I—!” Aura started.

            A loud sound from the doorway cut her off. They all turned to face it.

            Eligio was leaning against the doorframe, gripping it tightly to keep from falling over. The Aggron breathed heavily as he looked up at the others.

            “Is everything alright?” Nyx finally broke the silence.

            “For…now,” the Sage said, catching his breath. “We believe that the two Returned—both Flying types—were just a scouting party.”

            “Called it,” Aura said dryly.

            “They were easy enough to drive away, but that is all the more reason for alarm.” He steadied himself, before walking towards the travelers. “Their master knows that we—and you—are somewhere on this island. I expect him to send an actual attack within twenty-four hours. Maybe sooner. We have little time.”

            “What do you need me to do?” Ash asked.

            “I had planned on teaching you about the Steel type,” Eligio turned to look at the odd sword that Aura had touched earlier, “both on a technical and spiritual level, before you took the Test. Not only would it grant you a greater understanding and increase your odds of success, it was also to grant you respite from the physical and mental drain that the Ghost Element likely had on you before you put yourself through further stress. But, we don’t have the time.”

            “I…”

            “I’m sorry, Chosen One.” Eligio dipped his head briefly. “I must ask that you take your Test immediately. During that time, I will speak to your companions in our library, to try to arm you with as much information as we can. Do you have any Steel-type Pokémon on your team?”

            Ash hesitated.

            “No.” He looked at Misty. “Do you…?”

            “I don’t either,” she said with a shrug.

            “I’m part Steel, remember?” Aura raised on hand.

            “Good,” Eligio said, nodding sharply. “You’ll need to accompany Ash on his Test. Some of the… defenses won’t give without the presence of a Steel type Pokémon.”

            “Okay.” Aura nodded.

            The others all looked at her. Misty raised an eyebrow.

            “You’re cool with that?” Misty asked.

            “Yeah.” Aura stood up. “I am.” She looked at the Sage. “Lead the way, sir. Ash will join us when his brain restarts.”

            “Er,” Eligio paused, “all right. Follow me.” He led the Lucario into the hallway and out of sight.

            “Is she okay?” Misty gaped after them.

            “What did you say to her the other day?” Nyx asked. “I thought she was in a better mood lately, but…”

            “Yeah.” Misty nodded. “Other than her weird spells of chests pains and such, she almost seemed…”

            “Well, I guess everything’s topsy-turvy lately.” Ash looked at Misty with a shrug. There was a long moment of silence, before they broke their gaze, turning sharply away to try to hide their reddening faces.

            “Did Ah mi’ som’ting?” Jerzy asked, as he pulled himself up onto the table. He looked back and forth between the teenagers.

            “Pikapi?” Pikachu tilted his head at his trainer.

            “Uhhhh—I-I better go c-catch up with the others!” Ash stammered, running out of the room. “See you guys!”

            “First Aura,” Nyx said, “and now Ash. What the heck’s going on?”

            “I’m… not sure.” Misty said, giving the Umbreon an absent-minded pat on the head.

 

…

…

 

Gary gave a deep exhale through his clenched teeth.

            “You feel better, now?” Delia Ketchum asked from where she sat at the desk, looking up from a business ledger at him.

            “No,” Gary said, his scowl deepening. “No, I have a _lot_ more I’d like to say. But, I don’t want to risk my sister overhearing it; I know she still looks up to you. Though, she certainly deserves a better role model. A more honest one.”

            Delia sighed.

            “Oh, Garrett. You truly are your father’s son. You’ve taken one piece of information, judged it by one viewpoint of the past, and ultimately came to the wrong conclusion.”

            “What do you mean?” Gary narrowed his eyes.

            “What I mean is, you don’t understand that—!”

            “Mrs. K!” Sasha’s voice cut her off, as the young woman materialized in the doorway.

            “Yes, Sasha?” Delia turned to her with a smile.

            “What’s up?” Gary added.

            “Brock wants to know where we’re planning on getting the Berries for the dessert menu.” Sasha said, before shrugging. “He said something about location versus quality, and then went on a weird tangent.”

            “Why’d you come to ask his question?” Gary raised an eyebrow at her.

            “I told him he should ask her, and he just… kinda froze up. Again.”

            Gary and Delia exchanged glances.

            “What else did you say?” Gary asked.

            “I told him he could run over and ask you himself, while I finished with the new recipes and we could have them for lunch when he returned.”

            Gary and Delia looked at each other again, before they both covered their faces with a hand.

            “That boy never changes, does he?” Delia groaned.

            “He’s certainly Ash’s polar opposite in more than one way.” Gary shook his head. “His mind should have rebooted by now, at least.”

            “I’ll go and talk to him,” Delia said, standing and closing the ledger, taking it with her. “I should probably try the new foods for the menu, too.”

            “You guys really are going to revive the restaurant, huh?” Gary asked.

            “We’re gonna try,” Sasha said, as she and Delia started out.

            “Wait!” Gary snapped, his anger flaring briefly, before he remembered his sister’s presence and calmed himself. “I wasn’t done—!”

            “I know, Gary.” Delia half-turned back to him. “I don’t have time right now. You can continue with your… questions later.”

            “But—!”

            “If that’s not good enough for you, there are other places you can get the same answers.” Delia said as she left with his sister.

            “Damn it!” Gary cursed as he found himself left behind. He slammed his fist against the desk. He looked around the study. _Well, she did leave me alone in the house. And practically gave me permission to snoop around_. He scanned the three bookshelves that lined the wall opposite the desk, hoping to find a journal. A photo album. Anything that would have a record on the previous generation’s past.

            But, nothing stood out.

            Gary looked around, before opening one of the desk drawers. He leafed through several, irregular piles of papers, mostly receipts and bills. At the bottom, however, he found a strange bundle, wrapped in old newspaper and twine. Gary smiled, cheering under his breath. He pulled it out, and placed in on the desk. He sat down in the chair and looked at it for a long moment. He gave a long sigh.

            He found his hands trembling, as he pulled at the twine, freeing the package from it. He could now feel that it was definitely a book of some sort. He grabbed at the paper wrapping on one corner, but found himself freezing. Was it really okay to snoop like this? He knew that, even with the implications Delia had given him, there was still a line somewhere. He just wasn’t sure where it was at the moment.

            _Ash’s life could depend on this info,_ he reminded himself. He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. Gary tore the paper off of the book.

            Underneath, he found the journal he’d been looking for, bound by stiffened, dark blue-dyed leather. He opened it, and something fell out. He picked it up.

            _It’s another photo…of Ash’s parents._

            This picture was of a much younger version of Gyles and Delia. They couldn’t have been more than a couple of years older than Gary was now. Delia had one arm around Gyles’s shoulder, pulling him close while sticking her tongue out at the camera with a wink. Gyles was looking at her, rather than the camera, his face beet-red in a surprised expression. _She must have caught him totally off-guard_. As a mature teenager, Gyles’s hair was much shorter, with his ponytail resembling an aged paintbrush, the black strands sticking every which way, though not very far past the grey band. His face was much smoother, more clean-shaven, than in the later photo. He was wearing a simple black shirt, accented in red. Delia’s hair was in a single, long braid, which was draped over her shoulder and her faded, hot pink T-shirt. In her free hand, Gary thought he could make out the collar of a leather jacket.

            _She was a Biker?_ He raised a brow. _That would explain a bit, actually._ He flipped the photo over, finding that someone—apparently Delia—had written a note in black ink there.

            _Hey, bro! Cinnabar is as great as you said it’d be! Thanks again! Love, D & G! _

            Gary flipped the picture back over.

            _I guess I do remember Dad and Mrs. Ketchum being really close friends. They_ did _travel together as kids for a while, too. Makes sense that she’d involve him in her life. Even if that life included…_

            Gary shook his head.

            _So… if this photo was in here, then does that mean that this journal…?_

He opened the cover, only for the handwriting on the first page to instantly bring tears to his eyes.

            “Dad.” _Please, give me some answers._

            “What the hell—?” A sharp voice sent a jolt down Gary’s back. He turned slowly to face whoever had caught him in the act.

            “I swear—I can explain—!” He started.

            Standing in the doorway was an aging Charmeleon.

            “What are you doing in here?” She snapped.

 

…

…

 

Silver looked over at the other end of the Pokémon Center lobby. Brendan was surrounded by other Trainers, most of them visibly younger than him. The teenager was telling an over-dramatic recount of some adventure or another, even going so far as to stand upon a table.

            Brendan made eye contact with Silver, even across the distance, his grin widening. Silver slid even further down on the couch, eventually just lying down on it so that the table closest to the couch hid him from Brendan.

            “Hey,” Wally’s voice sounded from somewhere above him.

            “What?” Silver asked in a barely audible tone.

            Wally came into his view of the ceiling, looking over the back of the couch at him.

            “Why don’t you go over there and join Brendan?” Wally suggested. “I’m sure you have a story or two that those kids would be interested in.”

            Silver made a mild groaning sound.

            “How’s the back?” Wally changed to subject in a low tone.

            “It’s still rather sore,” Silver said. “The doctors worked a minor miracle, but I still can’t put too much stress on it without a lot of pain. I’m gonna have pretty bad-looking scars there for the rest of my life though.”

            “But you’ll _have_ the rest of your life,” Wally reminded him. “And the Haunter?”

            Silver grabbed a Heal Ball off of his belt and lazily tossed it up. A beam of red light issued from it, materializing into a smaller-than-average Haunter.

            “Haunt! Haun-haun-haunt!” He cheered. The Haunter floated up to Wally, tilting his head at the Trainer in curiosity.

            “Wally, meet Raphael. Raphe, this is Wally. He’s the one who saved our asses the other night.”

            “Haunter haunt!” The Ghost Pokémon grabbed Wally’s hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

            “Good,” Wally said. “He seems really healthy, too.”

            “I know how to raise Pokémon,” Silver said. “I grew up surrounded by them.”

            Wally inspected the Haunter further.

            “You ever think about becoming a Breeder or a Gym Leader?” He asked. “This guy’s showing a lot of potential, just from how clear the gases of his body and hands are. There aren’t any impurities at all. Even his unusual size just allows for more agility.”

            Silver sat up slowly.

            “I never really thought about it.” _Before I left the Team, I was pretty much resigned to a future as the Boss, as much as I hated it. Then, I just wanted to get away. Now… now what?_ “I’m not even sure where to start, anymore.”

            “Well, then, this party will be even better for you than I thought,” Wally said. “I’m sure there will be some good people to ask there. Brendan’s girlfriend will be there, and she knows a rather large network of big Trainers and Gym Leaders. I’ve heard that the great Lance might even be in attendance.”

            “I hope that no one _too_ big shows up,” Silver grumbled.

            Wally looked at him for a long moment, before allowing himself a slight smirk. It sent a light chill down Silver’s spine.

            “Don’t worry, _young Master_ , I’m sure that no one will recognize you.” He gave a light laugh. “That’s what the masks are for.”

            Silver blinked. “…Right. Right.” He righted himself on the couch. Raphael floated over to him, landing on top of his head. _What is it with Pokémon deciding to sit up there?_

            “C’mon.” Wally gave a gentle pull on Silver’s jacket. “Let’s go calm him down. Nurse Joy looks rather…perturbed over there.” He motioned subtly towards the main counter, where said Nurse was looking more and more irritated with Brendan’s antics. “The last thing we need is to piss off someone who knows medicine.”

            Silver blinked at him again. Then, with a light laugh, he got up and followed Wally over to their obnoxious friend.

 

…

…

 

Ash gulped. He started down the tunnel; the bricks that paved the walls were an irregular pattern of stone and metal. It twisted and turned in a slightly downwards angle, until the path bent completely out of sight. He looked to his left, to the tall Lucario at his side, before glancing back to the Aggron behind them.

            “So,” Aura said, “There’s only one real path to the Shrine?”

            “Yes.” Eligio nodded.

            “That doesn’t sound very secure.”

            Eligio laughed.

            “What’s so funny?” Ash asked.

            “Trust me, my friends, the path will not be easy. In countless years, none but the Sage—or the Sage-designate—have ever traversed it and survived to the Shrine at the end.”

            “Designate?” Ash echoed.

            “I’ll explain later.” Aura shook her head. “So, it’s really that dangerous, then?” She narrowed her eyes at the Sage. “And you’re just throwing two kids down it?”

            “I’m sending the Chosen One and his Guardian on a Test _designed_ so that the former is the only human that can survive and pass it,” Eligio corrected. “A human who, I should remind you, has already claimed eight elements, including the Ghost Element. And, a Guardian that I recall having shown a rather bright spirit when I first met her, back when she was a scraggy, scruffy, half-starved pelt of a Lucario. If that’s what you were then—or are now—then, I look forward to seeing what the two of you can accomplish together when you’re both at your best.”

            Aura and Ash looked at each other for a long moment, before the Lucario shifted her gaze to the ground.

            “Whatever,” she muttered.

            “Either way,” Eligio continued, “if you’re going to go ahead, I ask that you do so now.” The Aggron turned around. “Remember that our enemy is now pressing a tentative offensive against us. You _must_ have as many Elements on your side as possible if you are to survive an encounter with one of his stronger beasts or—Arceus forbid—the Traitor himself.” The Aggron started back down the hall from where they’d come.

            They watched as he vanished back into the main areas of the Temple. Aura glanced back at Ash before sighing.

            “I guess we really should go, then, eh?” She gently nudged his arm with her elbow.

            Ash jumped slightly.

            “Y-yeah,” he stammered with a sharp nod. “Let’s go!” He started down the hallway with a heavy step.

            “You okay?” Aura asked. “You’re acting kinda…weird lately.Even for you.”

            “Fine!” Ash’s cheerful response sounded forced.

            “…Okay then,” Aura’s tone betrayed her skepticism. “At least we don’t have to worry about bringing a torch.” She pointed out one of the glowing, light blue crystals that sporadically dotted the walls. “These things are actually pretty bright. Wonder how they work.”

            “The Ghost Shrine had some, too.” Ash mused out loud.

            “…I see.”

            They walked in awkward silence for a few moments, before the Lucario gave a forced cough.

            “So,” she started, “about…about the other day….” She trailed off, scratching at the back of her head.

            “Don’t worry about it,” Ash said. “It’s behind us.”

            “No, I mean—!” She stopped suddenly, her ears twitching. “Drop!” She barked, pivoting to kick Ash in one ankle, knocking him backwards to the ground. The momentum caused her to fall face-first on top of him.

            “What the hell—?” Ash started, before a loud buzzing sound cut him off. Just above Aura’s head, Ash watched with wide eyes as a large buzz saw emerged from the right wall, reaching the left before it retracted again. “What the hell,” Ash repeated in a flat tone once the sound completely ceased. Aura seemed to be just as stunned, as it took a sharp shove to get her off of him. “How did you…?” They slowly staggered back to their feet.

            “I felt one of the bricks shift under my foot, barely,” she explained. “And then I heard the mechanism starting up. I honestly had no way to know for sure that it would be _exactly_ that type of trap, but I got lucky. _We_ got lucky,” she quickly amended.

            “Holy…” Ash exhaled, leaning back against a wall.

            “No!” Aura barked. “Don’t do that!”  

            Ash leapt away from the wall with a burst of incoherent babbling.

            “There could be more traps like that,” Aura explained. “We’ll have to be careful. That’s probably why Eligio had you take me; my hearing is far stronger than any human’s, even yours.”

            “You think that I have better hearing now?” Ash asked.

            “It’s a possibility,” Aura said, taking another few tentative steps down the hall. Her ears twitched repeatedly as she attempted to listen for any clue of more traps. “Though, that doesn’t mean it’ll improve your listening skills,” she added with a chuckle.

            “So, I guess you should lead this one, then?” Ash asked.

            “That would probably be best.” Aura nodded. “Now, sshhh!” She hushed him as she slowly continued down the path.

            _This really_ is _the nicest she’s been since we’ve met,_ Ash noticed. _I don’t really get why she changed so much so quickly, but I’m not going to complain._

_I just hope she doesn’t change back to being angry again._

Aura suddenly froze, and Ash stopped in time to not walk into her. Every muscle in her body visibly tensed as she twitched one ear, listening.

            After a very long moment, Ash decided to dare a very low word.

            “What?”

            “I hear… something,” Aura explained. “Like… like gears groaning, I think. Or, maybe steam in piping? I’m not totally sure, but I can’t quite pinpoint where it’s coming from. Just… stay behind me.”

            “Do you think there’s a move from the Elements I already have that could work?”

            “We could theoretically just break through the floor and dig a tunnel underneath the hall,” Aura said. “But, there might be a failsafe, and we’d have no way to know for sure when we’d reached the Shrine. No, I’m sure that they planned for that.”

            “What about Aura?” Ash suggested. She half turned, raising a brow at him. “I-I mean,” he stammered, “the power. Not-not you. I mean. Not exactly. I mean, the _power_ of Aura. You _are_ a Lucario. Can’t you use it to… see through the walls? Or something?”

            Aura’s ears and lips twitched downwards briefly.

            “No. I can’t. Not anymore.”

            “I’m sorry,” Ash looked away. “Why?”

            Aura rubbed at her chest with one hand, just above her spike.

            “I don’t know.” Her voice was barely audible. “I—!” She turned her head the other way, just in time to see a brick in the floor a couple feet down the hall flip up and shoot out a small, metal stake. It struck Aura, embedding itself in her right shoulder with a brief flash of blood. She made a loud sound, something between a cough and a bark.

            “Aura!” Ash shouted. “Are you okay?”

            She cursed bitterly, holding the small spike with her opposite hand.

            “Assuming it’s not poisoned, I’ll probably be fine.” She hesitated for a long moment. “But, I probably shouldn’t remove this until we can safely take the time to deal with the wound. I’ll just lose blood faster, otherwise. We’ll deal with it at the Shrine. We need to—!” She tensed again.

            “What?”

            She didn’t respond, simply grabbing him by the front of the shirt and yanking him past her, further down the hall.

            “What the hell—?” Ash started.

            Another buzz saw emerged from the ground, between the gaps of the bricks, right under where Ash had been standing.

            Aura looked at him.

            “Thanks,” Ash said.

            She nodded before turning sharply to look behind them.

            “Run.” She said, taking a few steps backwards, further down the way. “Run!” She repeated, turning around and starting to sprint.

            Ash quickly did the same.

            “Why?” He yelled up to her. He was responded to by a very loud, familiar buzzing sound behind him, which kept it’s volume constant no matter how far down the hall he ran.

            She yelled something incomprehensible back at him, keeping her focus forward.

            Ash dared a quick glance backwards.

            A trio of buzz saws were chasing them down the hall, emerging from the floor, with another pair—one on each wall—just behind the first three.

            Ash quickly looked forward again. He tried to sprint even faster.

            “WWWHHHYYYY?” He yelled.

            “Duck your head!” Aura yelled back.

            Ash instantly obeyed, covering his head with his hands for good measure. He could barely make out the sight of more spikes shooting from the wall, barely missing his head. He could feel the rush of air against his hands and hair as each one flew by.

            The hall curved and turned a few times, but they only slowed the brief amount required to continue down it.

            “Duck!” Aura yelled again, as another saw emerged from the wall a few yards ahead, about mid-height. “Slide under it!” She barked, just before managing to do so herself.

            Ash ducked, somehow getting his body low enough to slide right under the buzz saw. As soon as he was clear, he quickly staggered back up right and continued in his mad dash, just behind Aura.

            They slid to a halt just in front of a large, metal wall closing off the hall.

            Aura glanced back.

            “Duck again!” She yelped. “And hug the wall!” She threw herself at the left, while Ash awkwardly sent himself right. The saws that had been chasing them passed harmlessly by, and submerged back into the floor just in front of the new obstacle.

            They staggered back to their feet again. They looked at the large stone slab that now blocked their path. It was a generally plain, flat, grey stone, speckled with small, glistening impurities, except for the circular, ripple pattern that emanated out from the center.

            “Probably specks of metal,” Aura scratched lightly at one of the impurities. She looked up at the top of the stone, and where it met the ceiling. “It’s probably a door of some kind. I bet if we can just use the right Steel type attack, it’ll let us through.”

            “But which one?” Ash asked. “Which can you use?”

            “Metal Claw’s my usual go-to for Steel attacks,” Aura looked at her hand spikes, “but, I doubt that would work. Just going by the pattern on the door. Iron Tail’s likely out, too; I don’t think we’re supposed to just break it down by sheer force. It might even be guarded against that, to keep intruders out.” She started pacing back and forth, musing aloud to herself. “I never did quite get Flash Cannon down, so let’s leave that for a last resort. Bullet Punch?”

            Aura turned back to the door, raising her right hand, clenching both into fists. As they both began to glow, she lowered herself into a proper battle stance.

            “Look out,” she said calmly. Ash made sure he was safely out of the way, just before she unleashed a barrage of solid punches roughly in the center of the door, with the last strike hitting it dead-on.

            They stared at the door for a long moment, before deciding that it still wasn’t going to budge.

            “Damn it.” Aura sighed. “What else… what else do I know? And you don’t have any Steel types?” She looked at Ash.

            “Even if I did, they couldn’t help.” He gave a sheepish shrug. “I’ve had to keep my Pokéballs in my pack lately; my belt got utterly trashed and we haven’t had a chance to buy a new one.”

            “Of course.” Aura sighed. She looked back at the door. “Think…think….” She muttered to herself.

            “Uh…” Ash hesitated, looking behind them. “Think faster?”

            “Why—?” Aura started, turning slightly to see what he was looking at. Her eyes widened in fear.

            The walls were starting to close together, one column of bricks at a time. The speed at which they were moaning shut meant that they had less than a minute before they would be flattened to death.

            “Uh…” Aura stammered. “I—I—uh, shit—um—rrraaaagh!” She started to roar in frustration. “That’s it!” She yelled, turning back around. She let out a loud, echoing shriek. The pattern on the door glowed from the Metal Sound attack and began to rise.

            “No time!” She barked. “Slide under as soon as you can!” She yelled, just before she did. “Run!” She added when he reappeared on the other side. Several dozen yards ahead, down the generally straight hall, another stone door blocked their path. This one instead had a giant X carved onto it.

            Ash cried out as he felt his foot lodge itself in a gap in the floor. Stuck, he stumbled forward from the momentum.

            Aura slid to a halt, turning as she did.

            Ash’s foot had managed to find a place in the floor where a brick was missing and was now tightly lodged within the space. The closing walls had stopped just in front of the first door, but now a series of buzz saws were emerging from the walls in an alternating pattern down the hall towards him.

            “Aura!” Ash yelped.

            “Ash!” She leapt at him, grabbing him by the shirt. She almost instantly pivoted to try to pull him free and safely to the ground. They were simultaneously deafened by the loud sound of a buzz saw emerging from the wall right above them. Aura felt pressure send a jolt of pain from where the stake was embedded in her shoulder and down her arm. As if by instinct, she closed her eyes and focused her energy, conceptualizing them as being right in front of the next door.

            Ash felt every cell in his body surging with a familiar energy. He clenched his eyes shut, just before his stomach lurched. He had just enough time to notice that his foot was free and the sound was suddenly _much_ quieter, before he collided into something rather solid.

            Ash moaned, rubbing his head as he opened his eyes to look at the offending object.

            _The door?_

            Aura groaned as well.

            “Uhhgn.” She lightly tapped her head against the stone panel. “I can’t believe that worked.”

            “What worked?” Ash asked. “Did you just… use Teleport?”

            “Y-yeah,” Aura stammered. “I haven’t done that in… in years. I wasn’t even sure that I could anymore. I used to be able to use it to find… never mind.” She slowly stood up, stumbling a few times. She placed one hand on the door, leaning slightly against it.

            “So.” Ash stood up as well. “The traps have stopped.” He pointed up the hall. The walls had retracted and all the buzz saws were no longer visible or audible. “I guess we’re done.”

            “Not quite.” Aura patted the still-closed stone door. She rubbed gingerly at her shoulder. She stopped, looking at the spike that was still embedded there. Or, what was left of it; about halfway down the original length, it had been crudely sawed in two, leaving a few, metal splinters half broken at the end. “To think,” she looked at Ash, “that could have been you.”

            “Uh,” Ash hesitated. “Thank you.”

            “Let’s just open this door so I can deal with this thing already.” Aura looked back at it. “The blood’s going to ruin this jacket.” She ran her hands down the marks, humming to herself.

            “You said that Metal Claw is your usual Steel attack?” Ash asked. “You think it’ll work here?”

            “I—!” Aura started to snap. She exhaled deeply. “Yes, that is the plan.” She took a step back from the door. “You may want to get out of the way.” She waited for Ash to do so, before she clenched her hands into fists and her spikes began to glow. She struck at the door once with each fist, hitting the mark dead on with her Metal Claw.

            The door’s mark glowed for a moment, before it began to rise. The weight of the action cause the hall around them to shake slightly. They managed to stay on their feet, though Ash had to lean lightly against the nearby wall. Once the door had completely opened, they both walked slowly into the Shrine behind it.

            Just as with each Shrine before, the room’s walls were adorned with intricate carvings, as well as the same light-giving crystals from the Ghost Temple. It was also filled with various statues of Steel-type Pokémon. Unlike the previous Shrines, which were square in shape, this one was hexagonal. The walls were made of a stone similar to the two doors they had opened, a simple grey that was speckled with small flecks of metal. However, on the wall directly opposite them, on the other side of the silver statue of Hikaru holding the Steel Orb, was a large, highly detailed carving of the ancient Sage-King himself in several pieces of jeweled armor.

            “Why does this Shrine have a carving of Hikaru?” Ash asked, as he stumbled around a golden statue of a Scizor to stand right in front of it. He placed his right hand against the cool stone, before slowly tracing the lines with two fingers. “None of the others have.”

            “Maybe it’s because Hikaru was a Lucario,” Aura suggested, leaping over a silver Lairon statue to join him. “We’re part Steel, after all.” She looked the corner closest to her left.

            There, as usual, stood another silver statue of Hikaru with a youthful Traitor from before their fall. The statues showed them in the middle of a sparring match, their wrists pressed against each other as the Traitor blocked a jab from Hikaru. The detail on the Traitor’ face showing his expression as one that combined determination with clear amusement. The Dragonair from before was now wrapped loosely around Hikaru’s waist, watching them spar from over the Lucario’s shoulder.

            “Huh.” Ash looked at it, too. “Do you know what the Dragonair is about?” He turned back to Aura.

            “Not a clue.” Aura shrugged. “Wasn’t in any of the myths _I’ve_ learned about Hikaru or his time.”

            They both turned back towards the Orb Shrine itself. The statue depicted Hikaru as a Lucario, kneeling and adorned with the jeweled collar that he’d worn when Ash last saw him, during the Ghost Test. The statue held the Orb above his head, eyes closed in a somber expression. The semi-opaque sphere was a silvery grey color.

            _Steel Element_ , Ash reminded himself. He took a deep breath, walking over to it. _Guess I should…_

            “Wait!” Aura interrupted his thought. “Can you help with this, first?” She motioned to the spike in her arm. “The damn thing’s starting to really sting.”

            “Oh!” Ash remembered. “Right!” He slid over a bronze statue of a Forretress, landing right in front of her. “Do you have a bandage?”

            “Not with me, no.” Aura shook her head. “That’s what I need you for. You need to use Recover, or something similar, like you did in the Fighting Temple.”

            Ash blinked at her for a long moment, while the memories of said Temple flashed through his mind. He blushed briefly, before he remembered what she was talking about.

            “Oh! …R-right,” he repeated. “How exactly do you want me to do this?” He asked. “Just yank it out and try to use Recover after, or…?”

            “No!” Aura barked. “No, I’ll pull the spike out. You’ll just grab it immediately and use Recover on the wound. Just… let me know when you’re ready.” She knelt down to the ground, leaning back slightly against a large, silver statue of a Steelix. She grabbed at the spike. “Tell me when.”

            Ash knelt in front of her, raising his left hand up to her arm. There was a glimmer of light, and the Gauntlet visualized over his hand. The colorless Normal Orb began to glow a bright white.

            “I’m ready when you are.”

            Aura took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tightened her grip. She gave it a solid pull, removing the spike from her arm in a single, fluid motion. Ash wrapped his hands around the wound as soon as the spike was out of his way, but blood still poured faster than either of them had expected, seeping through his fingers.

            Panic started to surge through Ash as the image of the dead Echo in the Ghost Temple flashed before his eyes. He slammed his eyes shut and forced himself to focus on the power of the Element he was supposed to be using. Like in the Fighting Temple, he tried to will it to use Recover.

            A white, glowing light shone from Ash’s hands. The light spread to Aura’s shoulder and down her arm. The Lucario hissed softly. After a long moment, the light faded.

            Ash released her arm. Under the tear in her jacket, the wound was completely healed; in fact, the seamless repair of flesh and fur made it appear as if she’d never been injured in the first place.

            “Wow,” Aura breathed. “That’s actually impressive.”

            “Was that a complement?” Ash asked with a grin.

            Aura looked at him. “Maybe.”

            They both stood up. Aura held onto the spike, still covered with her blood. A few drops slowly fell off the tip to the floor.

            “What should we do with that?” Ash asked.

            “Keep it,” Aura replied. “Having a little extra scrap metal’s always handy.”

            “…Okay.” Ash hesitated, unsure of how to respond to that. She _had_ spent several years living in the wild, but he thought she’d have moved past her old packrat mindset by now. “I guess I’ll just get this over with, then.” He started back over to the Orb’s Statue.

            “Probably a good idea.” There was the faintest chuckle in Aura’s voice. She leaned back against the Steelix again.

            Ash looked at the Orb. The metallic coloring swirled between transparent and opaque.

            “Well,” Ash said, mostly to himself, “here goes.” He clenched his eyes shut, grabbing the Orb with both hands.

            Pain seared through every cell in his body. The wave of agony quickly ceased, however, and was replaced with a loud, screeching sound that overwhelmed Ash’s senses.

            _Metal Sound_.

            Just as Ash identified the attack, the sound stopped. Pain returned in the form of sharp jolts jabbing at various places on his body, as if someone were throwing knives at him. Ash opened his eyes.

            He no longer seemed to be in the Shrine. He was chained up against a wall, his arms held above his head. His vision was blurred in one eye, the stinging of his eyebrow implying that it was due to blood. Several Steel types stood in front of him, taking irregular turns to strike him with sharp blows. The only one he recognized was a Metagross, which was alternating between which front limb it used to strike him. The other three… Ash had never seen before, though they were all significantly smaller than the Metagross. Their blows certainly didn’t hurt any less.

            _What’s going on?_ Ash thought, as he coughed violently, spitting up blood after a particularly hard strike from the Metagross.

            “Stop!” A female voice barked. The Pokémon ceased their attacks and backed up slightly. A tall, youthful woman, only a few years older than Ash, walked through the group up to him. She wore a simple, black suit and a bright red tie. Her skin was pale, her face narrow and faintly angular. She held a whip in her left hand, the length of which was loosely wrapped around her arm at the shoulder. Her hair was a rich black, and flowed straight down past her shoulders, swaying slightly with her every step. “I think he’s ready to talk now.” She grabbed his chin, lifting his face so that his dark blue eyes locked with her topaz ones. “Isn’t that right, Torvyn?”

            “Who?” Ash asked weakly.

            “Torvyn!” A masculine voice echoed loudly in response. The scene blurred again, the pain evaporating, and Ash found himself no longer in control of his own body.

            _Like in the Ghost Test._

“Torvyn!” The voice repeated, much clearer this time. The scene swirled back into clarity. He was in a field of thin grasses and shrubs of varying heights, the beach of an ocean just in view a fair distance beyond. Several, mismatched ships and boats were anchored there, and fire raged not far to his left, spreading through the vegetation rapidly. All around, humans and Pokémon alike were locked in a violent fight, about a third of them wearing steel armor with irregular splashes of purple. The man Ash was currently inhabiting was in a full suit and was wielding a strange type of sword, the blade widening before the edge sharply curved in a concave manner from one side to the endpoint. As the man wielded the blade masterfully, blocking a Metal Claw attack from a Metang, Ash could see that the handle of the blade was tightly wrapped in purple cloth. His vision was mildly narrowed, revealing that the man was also wearing a helmet with the visor down.

            “One moment!” He yelled, the voice echoing inside the armor slightly. “Fergal! Get this thing off of me!”

            A loud roar heralded the sight of a black Charizard as it struck from the sky, grabbing the Metang’s arms before unleashing a point-blank burst of fire on it.

            Relieved of battle for a brief moment, the man turned to face the speaker addressing him for the first time. This man stood a few inches shorter, and wore simplistic, green clothes under a few, mismatched pieces of armor, including two shoulder pieces that appeared to be from totally different sets. His face was uncovered, revealing a narrow face and straight, listless maroon hair, tied back in a rough ponytail that reached only an inch or so past his shoulders.

            “Brother,” the armored man’s voice echoed lightly through his helmet. “You shouldn’t be here. Go home! Warn Mother and the others! We’ll hold them off here as long as we can!”

            “Torvyn!” The man’s brother repeated again, holding up a large, scythe-like weapon. “I’m not leaving you to die! You haven’t even started your Aura training, yet!”

            The man chuckled. “I don’t need any Aura powers to fight these scum! Now, go!”

            “But—!”

            “Fergal! Take Brother home!” The man turned to the black Charizard. He gave a loud snort, before releasing the beaten Metang. He flew straight towards Torvyn’s brother, grabbing him firmly, taking him by force as he kept flying.

            “Toooorvyyyn!” He yelled again, his voice vanishing into the distance as the Charizard carried out his master’s order.

            “Now.” The man turned back to the fight. He raised his blade. “Now, where was I?”

            _I believe we were going to charge recklessly into battle_ , a powerful voice echoed in Ash’s head. Rather, in Torvyn’s head.

            The armored man turned slightly to face a Pokémon Ash had never seen before. It had a quadruped body and was aqua blue in color. It was tall, its head reaching above even the armored man, the firelight glistening off of its yellow, bolt-shaped horns and tinting the white fur tuft on its long neck. It stamped one black hoof on a small flame that had started to spark in front of it, extinguishing the fire.

            “Hello, friend,” Torvyn said with a chuckle. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d join us.”

            _There are those here who would harm innocents,_ the voice replied. _Thus, I have come to fight the offenders._

            The man laughed, before readying his sword again. They leapt together, towards an armored Abamasnow.

            The scene instantly changed, and Ash felt himself being knocked backwards.

            He landed on his back into a sea of cold. The sky above him was white with solid cloud cover, the light bright enough to make his eyes water.

            “Damn it!” A voice yelled from the distance. Ash heard the sound of footsteps approaching, each one accented with a slight crunch. A face shortly materialized into view above him, casting shadow onto his face.    

            _Gary?_ Ash thought to himself. He did _look_ a lot like Gary, though his hair was significantly less unruly and a much lighter shade of brown. And his face was a bit wider, just a little bit more square than Gary’s. _Wait. Is it…?_

            “That was reckless,” Gary’s father said with a deep scowl. “If you get yourself killed, D will kill _me_ , too, you know.” He offered a hand.

            “Glad to know where your priorities lie,” the man Ash was reliving said with a dry laugh. He took the man’s help, slowly standing back up in the snow.

            _I know this voice. I’ve heard it._ Ash’s mind raced as he watched the man dust the snow off his fluffy black coat and snow pants. _And recently. But, where?_

            “At least we hit the target,” he continued. “The Rockets will certainly find themselves in the cold when they try to use this base again.”

            _That’s it!_

            “You had to say it,” Garrison groaned. He adjusted his own brown coat, before pulling down goggles from where they hid under the hood, covering his eyes. “Can we just go home now?”

            “I’m never gonna get him to like me,” Gyles muttered to himself, as he put on his own pair of goggles.”

            _Ashura._ Hikaru’s voice echoed in Ash’s mind, and the scene swirled again, becoming a white void. The Lucario materialized in front of him. He was dressed in the same armor that the carving in the Shrine had depicted him in, the jeweled collar from before now serving as a piece in his chestplate. The cloak was a much more vibrant shade of purple than previously, and had minor detailing in silver thread.   

            “Hikaru?” Ash asked. He seemed to be back in his own body, more or less. At least, he wasn’t possessing someone else’s.

            “Ashura,” Hikaru repeated. There was a new power behind his voice, almost echoing in the void.

            “What’s… why are you wearing that?”

            Hikaru looked at his armor for a moment. “Because you have now claimed the Steel Element. As a Lucario, I am of both the Fighting and Steel Elements. By having both under your control—at least somewhat—it allows me to be more… conscious, as it were.” He seemed to struggle to find a word that fit. “The point is, I’ll be able to maintain more direct contact with you, even outside of these Tests.”

            “I don’t understand how you even could do _that_ before,” Ash fished for any explanations he could get.

            “During the moments when you first make contact with a new Orb, before you fully and properly claim its power, you are briefly linked to the Elements.”

            “Which ones?” Ash asked.

            “All of them,” Hikaru said simply.

            “And this allows me to talk to you? Why?”

            “That is information you are not ready to have, yet.”

            “ _Why_?” Ash snapped. “ _Why_ can’t you just _tell_ me something? Why do you have to keep all these secrets, damnit?”

            “Because you’re not strong enough, yet,” Hikaru remained calm. He raised a hand, and mist rose from the ground, swirling and materializing into a simplistic, steel staff, topped with the head of a Mew with two amethysts for eyes. He held onto the staff, holding it near his side as if he were readying a weapon. “The Traitor’s powers are…highly invasive. Even now, I still only have a vague understanding of how his Curse works. All I know is that the humans that it affects fall totally under his power. If he got a hold of you in this way, he would have access to every ability you have, the ability to manipulate your emotions, and potentially learn everything you know, to hear your every thought.

            “So, by not understanding our connection—nor how it affects your abilities as the Chosen One—which is something that the Traitor desperately needs to know for his plans, you are a bit safer from him. He’s not likely to try to Curse you while you’re still just gathering power, not without some sort of secondary benefit to tempt him; if he’s going to try to take you, he’ll want the most powerful minion he can get.”

            “I’d never work for him!” Ash insisted.

            “Not of your own free will, no,” Hikaru said, “but the Curse has a tendency to take control, anyway. Even the greatest wills eventually break. And, no one that has fallen into the Traitor’s grasp has ever been restored.”

            “How do you know?”

            Hikaru looked at him for a long moment.

            “I know,” he said simply. “Another time, maybe, I’ll be able to explain.”

            “What _can_ you tell me?”

            “I will be able to help you much more directly, now. To put it simply, having both of my species’ Elements restores my strength somewhat. You will be able to make a mental connection with me whenever you desire.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash wasn’t sure he understood.

            “If you ever need to talk to me, for any reason, just mentally direct your thoughts to me.”

            “How?” Ash asked.

            Hikaru paused for a moment. “Try to talk to me within your thoughts. I’m not sure how to properly simplify the process, to be honest. It’s not an exact science, to begin with.”

            “So, you’ll be able to hear my thoughts?” Ash felt nervous. He was having trouble with some of the things in his head as it were; he didn’t want someone else in there, poking around.

            “Only those that you direct towards me,” Hikaru said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I won’t be invading your mind. Our link isn’t mental in nature.”

            “What?”

            “I’ll explain later.”

            “What about what I see and hear?” Ash asked.

            “Yes,” Hikaru said with a nod. “I will likely be able to generally see and hear as you do. This will allow me to more easily advise you.”

            Ash gulped nervously. Hikaru chuckled.

            “Do not worry,” the Lucario said. “I will be discreet; I shall not invade in…private matters.”

            “I…I mean, uh…”

            “You forget that I was once sixteen.”

            “…Right.” Ash scratched at the back of his neck. “So, uh…the—the, uh,” he struggled to find a way to change the subject. “The Dragonair! Who is the Dragonair? In the statues?”

            “Hmm?” Hikaru blinked for a moment. “Ah, her. She’s an old friend. The statues must’ve been forged by one who lived close to my time, as she was quickly forgotten to most of the few that knew the legend in the first place.”

            “Oh. Okay.”

            There was a long silence, before Ash spoke up again.

            “So, who were those people?” He asked. “In those…memories or whatever. I mean, the ones before Dad’s.”

            “You mean, the memories of Torvyn?” Hikaru asked.

            “Yes,” Ash said. “The guy with the sword.”

            “Falchion.”

            “What?” Ash blinked.

            “His weapon is a type of sword called a falchion,” Hikaru clarified. “It was apparently forged especially for him, presented to him on his eighteenth birthday.”

            “Oh, okay. Sure.” Ash cleared his throat. “Anyway, who is he? Who was that lady? What happened to him, and his brother?”

            “I’m afraid I don’t know enough to properly and safely answer.” Hikaru looked down. “The woman is no longer living, that I know for sure. The brother, from what little information I can gleam from my semi-consciousness over the past couple generations, _is_ still living, though. Perhaps _he_ will give you the answers I cannot, should your paths cross one day.”

            “Okay.” Ash decided that this info would have to be enough for now. “I should probably claim the Orb, now, right? Before it kills me?”

            “You already have.”

            “What?” Ash felt confused. “How?”

            Hikaru gave a nervous chuckle. “I may have been a little disorientated when you, er…when you grabbed a hold of the Steel Orb and reconnected me to the Element.”

            “What do you mean?”

 

…

…

 

“What the hell?” Aura turned sharply to face the wall nearest her. It had begun to glow in several colors, each swirling about the others. The glow slowly flowed across the wall towards the corner, moving to the next. Aura turned to see the same thing was happening on the other side of the room. They were slowly moving towards…

            “The carving of Hikaru,” the Lucario breathed. She threw herself over a statue of a Magneton to get over to it. She stood in front of the carving, watching with wide eyes and bated breath as the colors swirled across the wall and met at it. Its eyes began to glow with white intensity, forcing Aura to squint and raise her arm to keep its light from blinding her. When it had lessened enough to allow her to look directly at the wall again, the swirling colors were gone; instead, the carving was now faintly glowing with solid coloring of its own, depicting the blues and blacks of the ancient Sage-King’s fur, the gold and silver of his armor, and the various jewels that adorned it. No. It wasn’t silver, maybe platinum, or….

            “Steel.” She hesitantly reached out and placed one hand against the carving. It was almost ice cold, the chill sharp even against her pelt. She pulled away again. “Hikaru. Hey, Ash,” she started, turning back to face him. “Ash?” She barked at what she saw.

            Ash was still holding onto the Orb, though it was no longer held by the Shrine. His eyes were open, glowing with a piercing white light, just like the carving. His clothes had been replaced with a solid suit of black armor—minus a helm—detailed with lines of gold and platinum, and sparsely ornamented with amethysts and emeralds. His hair wasn’t its normal, scruffy self; instead of just being in desperate need of a haircut, it was actually long, and held back in a tight ponytail, which was flowing in a wind Aura couldn’t feel. A long, dark purple cape, elaborately detailed in silver thread, materialized from his spaulders, the cloth flowing from the same force as his hair.

            “Ash?” Aura repeated, walking slowly towards him.

            He turned sharply to face her. His face was hard, eyebrows furrowed in an intense expression Aura couldn’t name. _It’s the same expression that_ —

            Before Aura could finish her thought, he spoke in a language that Aura had never heard before. It wasn’t Ash’s voice that spoke, either; it was deeper, more powerful, and it seemed to echo endlessly throughout the Shrine. It made Aura’s joints weaken, and she stumbled for a few steps.

            She leapt backwards with a yelp when the Scizor statue in front of her moved. As if summoned to life by the voice, it knelt to the floor, bowing its head at Ash. The other statues soon did the same.

            “What the hell?” Aura breathed. “What’s…why…how?” She looked around, gaping at the statues.

            She felt a spark in her chest—spark was the only word she could think of to describe it, anyway. Like, a small burst of energy, crackling within for just a moment. It was the Steel Element.

            _Lucario are Fighting_ and _Steel types._

            Aura fell to her knees.

            “Hikaru,” she eventually said in little more than a whisper. She shook her head, forcing herself back to her feet. She closed the distance between her and Ash. She placed one hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, and the armor faded, his clothes and hair returning to normal. Ash stumbled forwards, falling lightly into Aura’s shoulder. He opened his eyes—now their usual dark blue—and looked up at her.

            “Aura?” He asked in a low tone. He pushed himself back off her, standing straight again. “What…?” He looked at the Orb in his hands. “Bastard. That’s what he meant.”

            “Ash.” Aura took a step backwards. “Are you okay? You seemed…well, like you were possessed.”

            “Uh,” Ash hesitated, “I think I kinda was.”

            “I think I’m a bad influence on you.” Aura looked away.

            “What do you mean?”

            “You said ‘bastard.’ Your language has gotten more and more vulgar over the past few months. That’s probably my fault.”

            “Or,” Ash suggested, “maybe it’s because I’m a rebellious teenager?”

            Aura scoffed, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

            “I know rebels. _You_ are not a rebel.”

            “If you say so.” Ash placed the Orb in the Gauntlet. He looked around. “What happened to the statues?” He scratched at the back of his head.

            “Hikaru happened.” Aura looked to the carving of the ancient Lucario. It was no longer glowing, but it was permanently painted in full color, the eyes now their proper red. She looked back at Ash. “C’mon, let’s head back. We shouldn’t keep the others waiting. Not with the Traitor’s monsters likely closing in.” She walked by him towards the entrance. “And, you could seriously use a haircut.”

            “You’ve mentioned,” he said with a smile, following after her.

            Red eyes carved from stone watched silently as they left the Shrine behind them.


	34. Libertine

The Aggron handed Misty a large, locked, leather-bound book.

            “These are my personal notes on my own research,” Sage Eligio said to the teenage girl. “I gathered every shred of information that I could on our enemy. History, powers, the basics of what the Returned are and how they function, that sort of thing. It may not help you, but perhaps you’ll find something worth the time it takes to read.”

            “Thank you,” Misty said. “I’m sure it’ll be very helpful.”

            “We need every bit of info we can get,” Nyx added. “The better we understand the Traitor and his beasts, the more likely we are to survive an encounter with them.”

            “Especially if we don’t have a powerful Sage to save our asses like last time.” Aura slipped her pack onto her back. “Now, come on. We’re gonna miss the morning boat if we don’t leave now.” She started to walk out of the cave’s mouth.

            “Wait,” Eligio called to her. “I have a gift for you, too, young Aura.”

            “Hmm?” Aura half-turned back to look at him.

            The Aggron walked up to her, placing a small metal object in her hand.

            “I’m sorry it’s not my most elaborate work, but it’s the best I could manage in such a short time.”

            Aura looked at what he’d given her. It was a small dagger in a purple scabbard, the blade thin and no longer than three inches at most. The grip was tightly wrapped in a dark purple cloth, and the guard above it was minimal, just enough to make the distinction absolutely clear. Aura unsheathed it slightly, and the blade glistened softly in the moonlight.

            “This from that metal I brought you?” Aura asked, returning the blade to its scabbard. _If this is what he considers a mediocre rush job, I’d_ love _to see what he considers his best._ She slipped it into an interior pocket of her jacket, making a mental note to get a proper belt for it.

            “And a little bit from my own stores so there was enough for a whole blade, yes.” Eligio turned back towards the interior of the cave.

            Ash walked from the shadows into view. He was rubbing at his eyes, Pikachu half-asleep on his head.

            “Do we have to leave now?” He grumbled. “Can’t we get some sleep first?”

            “The Traitor will expect you to be recovering from claiming an Element,” Eligio explained. “I’m very sorry, Ash, but you must leave now, while he doesn’t expect it.”

            “Look.” Aura pointed towards the lights in the distance, further down the barely-visible shoreline. “Dewford will only be a couple hours walk from here, if we keep a brisk pace. Maybe we can take a few hours to rest there while we wait for the morning boat to Slateport. Until we get there, though, we’re putting ourselves and the entire Temple here in danger.”

            “I understand,” Ash said quietly. “The last thing I want to do is put the Pokémon here in danger.”

            “I know.” Aura’s voice was barely audible. She turned around, and started to walk towards the shoreline.

            “What did you _say_ to her?” Misty asked, as she placed Eligio’s journal in her backpack. “She’s nowhere _near_ as antagonistic towards you as usual lately. Or towards any of us, really.”

            “She s’ll ‘ates me wit’ a burnin’ passion.” Jerzy leapt out of Misty’s pack, and onto her shoulder.

            “You don’t count,” Aura yelled back towards them. “I _can_ hear you, by the way.”

            “We should probably go catch up with her.” Misty started after the Lucario. “And, just _what_ were you doing in there?” She added to the masked Rattata.

            “Thank you for your hospitality!” Nyx gave Eligio a cheerful nod, before dashing after the others.

            Ash hesitated.

            “What is the matter, Chosen One?” Eligio asked the teenager.

            “I…I don’t know.” He looked up, watching as the fast-moving clouds covered the moon, darkening his path. He lifted Pikachu off of his head, opting to just carry the Electric Pokémon in his arms. “I just….” He looked at the Aggron. “Thank you. I hope the Traitor never finds you or the Temple.”

            “So do I, Ash,” Eligio said softly as the teenager dashed off after the others, catching up quickly. “So do I.”

            _Do you feel that?_ Ash asked Hikaru.

            _I do_ , the ancient Sage-King’s voice echoed softly in his head. _It’s like a…dull pressure on the back of your skull._

_What do you think it is?_

_I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just a lingering effect of the attack from earlier. The Returned presence tend to leave… emotional marks on the very land they tread for days. Even humans can sometimes sense that one has been by, even long after it’s left._

            _Or,_ Hikaru changed the thought, _it might just be the incoming storm._

            The group had reached the shoreline. Aura took point, leading them towards Dewford, keeping the ocean close to her left. They were so close to the waterline, that some of the incoming waves reached their feet as they walked down the beach.

            “Why are we walking so close to the water?” Nyx asked.

            “The Traitor prefers flying Returned to swimming,” Aura explained. “I heard him say so once.”

            “Wait, _what?_ ” Ash and Misty asked in unison.

            “So, he’s not likely to be attacking us from the water,” she continued, ignoring them. “Unless he sent something _flying_ across the ocean. In which case, we’d be likely to see it coming in time. Otherwise, we’re keeping one side perpetually guarded without having to constantly watch it.”

            “You think about this type of thing a lot, huh?” Misty asked.

            “Not really.” Aura shrugged. She looked around with narrowed eyes as they started through a series of large rock formations that engulfed much of their path. “I used to use the walls of buildings for a similar purpose all the time. It eventually just became an instinct.”

            Rain started to fall, moderately but steadily. Ash and Misty raised their hoods, while Aura flicked her ears in annoyance.

            “It’s raining,” Nyx stated the obvious. “I was hoping we’d make it to Dewford first.”

            “It’s not natural.” Aura tugged at her jacket.

            “What do you mean?” Ash asked.

            “I mean, this isn’t a natural storm. Something is causing it.”

            “Maybe a Water Trainer is doing some midnight training nearby,” Misty suggested. “I know that Rain Dance can cause…well, rain, obviously.”

            “No,” Aura shook her head, sending drops of rain everywhere. “I know what Rain Dance feels like. This is…different. This is evil. I…I’ve been in rain like this before. I know this….” She stopped suddenly, freezing in place just at the exiting edge of the rock formations. Every muscle in her body was visibly tensed. “I know this presence.”

            “Aura?” Misty stopped and looked at the Lucario. She waved a hand in front of Aura’s face. The Lucario didn’t react at all, simply staring into the distance.

            “Aura!” Ash grabbed her shoulder.

            That got the Lucario to react, though only by jerking backwards out of his grip. She collided back into a large, tall boulder, and began to tremble against it, still with the same, wide-eyed expression.

            “What’s wrong with her?” Ash looked at Misty.

            “I don’t know—” She started, but was interrupted by Jerzy leaping off of her shoulder to the ground.

            “What?” Ash blinked at him. The Rattata began digging furiously, half-burying himself in the sand. “The hell is his problem?” He looked at Nyx.

            The Shiny Umbreon was standing a few feet behind them, half-crouched near the ground. His entire body was shaking, his ears flattened back against his head and eyes wide and twitching. He was chattering softly, his voice just audible but unintelligible.

            “Nyx?” Ash knelt in front of him. “What is it?”

            “Can’t.” A full word finally came through. “Can’t. Can’t see. Can’t feel. Can’t. Can’t move. Can’t.”

            “Pika!” Pikachu leapt up onto Ash’s head. He looked around rapidly. “Pikapi!”

            “What is it, Pikachu?” Ash asked.

            “ _I feel…cold._ ” He explained.“ _And dark. And scared. It’s like it’s trying to freeze every cell in my body._ ”

            “But, what _is_ it?” Misty asked.

            “It’s called Blood Fear,” A velvet voice called from somewhere above them. “It’s a little trait I picked up over the years. Stops most dead in their tracks, humans and Pokémon alike.”

            _I know that voice,_ Ash recalled the Ghost Test. _Hikaru. Hikaru, is…?_

            _Yes. It’s him._

            Ash, Misty, and Pikachu all looked up at the speaker. He was seated casually on top of one of the tallest of the rock formations at the border. A tall man, appearing to be no older than his early twenties. He was mostly in black, his suit and dress shirt contrasted by the dark red tie, all barely visible under his long, black cloak, which flowed slightly in the breeze. His long, straight, dark red hair was tied back in a tight ponytail. His dark teal eyes seemed to glow, piercing through the darkness to be visible, even from at least ten feet above them. He even wore the same steel-tipped boots the Echo had in the Temple.

            “It’s…” Misty started, staring.

            “Moonsbane,” Ash practically growled, just as Hikaru echoed the name within his head. “The Traitor.”

            “Ah, so you _do_ know!” He said with a smirk. “Good! We can skip the pleasantries then.” He leapt down, landing a few feet in front of them without injury, kicking up some sand from the force of the fall. “I’m sure you remember my newest pet?”

            The sand a few yards behind Moonsbane erupted. The Ancient didn’t even react, even as Ash and Misty stumbled backwards from their shock, as the Returned Charizard emerged from the ground.

            “We’ve been waiting for you,” Moonsbane said, scratching the underside of the beast’s jaw when it approached him. “Though, I have to admit, you’re earlier than I expected. I thought I’d have to wait at least another couple of hours before you passed by.”

            “So, you were just going to sit up there in the rain?” Ash raised a brow. “For hours?”

            Moonsbane gave a low chuckle.

            “When you’re as old as I am,” he explained, “a few hours are easy enough to wait. And, the rain doesn’t bother me in the least. I summoned it.”

            “Why?” Ash asked.

            “What can I say? I have a taste for the dramatic, and this _is_ the first time we’ve met, _Chosen One_.”

            _Technically_ , Ash thought to himself.

            “Hello.” Moonsbane directed his attention to Pikachu, still atop his Trainer’s head. “You’re not paralyzed with the Blood Fear. Curious.” He looked over at Misty. “And, neither are you.” He looked at Ash. “Certainly you aren’t _really_ so stupid as to bring a weak _human_ around with you, not when you knew _I_ was out here, waiting. Not when you’ve already had to face one of my beasts.” He gave the Returned another scratch, on the brow. “Or, is your girlfriend really so—”

            “She’s not my girlfriend,” Ash retorted automatically, at the same time as Misty similarly did. Despite the words, the memory of the kiss flickered, unbidden, in his mind, and he felt heat spread across his face.

            “Right.” He looked at the Returned Charizard. “Hold the boys.”

            With a roar, the monster threw itself at Ash, grabbing him and Pikachu in each hand. It slammed them against one of the irregular stone pillars. Ash struggled in the grip, but the monstrous claws had his arms completely pinned, and he could barely even see Pikachu’s ears poke out from under the other hand.

            “Well, if the Fear won’t keep you out of my way,” Moonsbane turned to Misty, “I’ll just have to do it myself.” He pulled a large, double-headed battleaxe out from under his cloak. The blade was highly decorated in elegant carving. Moving faster than Misty could even see, he pushed her backwards into another boulder, pinning her against it with his free arm.

            “ _Misty!_ ” Ash yelled, struggling as hard as he could against the Returned’s grip.

            Moonsbane raised the axe. “The question is whether I should just kill you now, or incapacitate you to use your blood later.”

            “If you harm so much as—!” Ash started.

            “How about a third option?” Misty interrupting, causing both men to pause for a second. She then kneed Moonsbane hard in the groin.

            The Ancient stumbled backwards with a snarl of pain. Released from his grip, Misty took the opportunity to push him further away while he was still caught off guard.

            “And, can you _please_ try breath mints?” Misty asked, as she put distance between him and her, reaching back into a pocket of her pack and pulling out a Pokéball. “Politoed! Get that thing off Ash with a Bubblebeam!”   

            “TOED!” The green frog Pokémon materialized in a burst of light. “Poli! Politoed!” She obeyed the command, the attack hitting the Returned on its head.

            The beast roared, releasing its captives as it reared back in clear agony.

            “Thunder!” Ash yelled instantly.

            “Pikaaaa- _chuuuuuuu_!” Pikachu obeyed, bolts of the electricity cackling dangerously in the rain around the Returned Charizard.

            The monster roared, before spitting a burst of black flame at the Electric Pokémon. Pikachu leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, which instead scorched a pillar of stone, turning the pale brown color to that of charcoal.

            “Water Pulse!” Misty shouted.

            “Thundershock!” Ash added, as he pulled a Pokéball from his pack’s outer pocket. While the Returned struggled under the force of the first two attacks, Ash tossed the ’Ball. “Gible! Join with a Draco Meteor!”

            The small, blue Dragon Pokémon materialized with a roar, his body glowing orange. Before it landed on the ground, Gible shot a ball of orange light from his mouth up into the sky above Moonsbane and the Returned. Distracted by the light, they both glanced up at it, just in time to watch as it broke into smaller chunks and rained down upon them. They both snarled in pain.

            “Enough!” Moonsbane snarled. His eyes flashed a bright, glowing red for a split second. “Get them out of my way!”

            A loud screech from above heralded the sudden arrival of a second winged monstrosity, this one apparently having once been a Fearow. This Returned landed practically on top of Misty and Politoed, pinning both under its jagged talons. Despite their struggle, they were held firmly against the sand.  

            “ _Misty!_ ”

            “And the runts.” Moonsbane wiped a small amount of blood off of the broken corner of his mouth.

            The Returned Charizard grabbed both Gible and Pikachu before either could react, slamming them both against one of the rock formations.

            “I’ve humored you long enough, little Trainer,” Moonsbane said in what sounded like a growl. He walked with a clear swagger towards Ash. “Now, you have something of mine.” He grabbed Ash by the front of his shirt, effortlessly lifting him just above the ground. Moonsbane then slammed him back against one of the stone pillars. With a flick of his wrist, a hunting knife slid into his free hand from under his sleeve. He lifted the blade up to Ash’s forehead.

            _Ashura!_ Hikaru’s voice echoed in Ash’s head.

            Before the Traitor could use the knife, they were both blinded by a burst of light. They both looked—as well as they could through a squint—at the source.

            What had once been Gible—trapped under the Returned Charizard’s claws—was now a glowing figure, its changing form slowly forcing the monster’s hand away.

            “Typical,” Moonsbane said in a low voice.

            The light faded, revealing the newly-evolved Gabite struggling against the force of the Returned Charizard’s talons, pressing against them with his own claws.

            “Dragon Pulse!” Ash yelled. He didn’t watch as Gabite unleashed a torrent of purple flame on the monster. Instead, he looked back at Moonsbane. He focused on the flow of Elemental energy from his left hand, mentally calling upon the Ghost Element. He scratched at Moonsbane’s face with the black aura of Shadow Claw. The ancient man let go of Ash, stumbling backwards.

            “Damn!” He snarled. “So, you think you can fight, boy?” Behind him, Gabite and the Returned Charizard were busy breathing bursts of purple and black flame at one another, narrowly missing with each attack, turning the rain around them to steam. “You think you can so much as hold your own against me? I killed the most powerful Sage that ever walked the Earth!” He slammed one fist against a stone pillar to his right. The rock trembled from the blow, which left a cracked crater behind. “I killed Hikaru with a single strike! What hope do _you_ have, _child_?”

            Ash looked at him, dark blue eyes locking with teal. He could feel a chill emanating from his own bones. Terror surged through him, threatening to paralyze his every muscle. _Is this what the Blood Fear feels like?_

_Ashura._

            Ash narrowed his eyes.

            “I’m the Chosen One,” he said simply. He balled his fists, his mind racing through all the attacks he knew in the Elements he had access to. _Should I use Fighting? Poison? Steel? More Ghost?_ He tried to think, as Moonsbane leapt at him.

            Before the ancient could make contact, however, a large, metallic blur struck him, sending Moonsbane flying. The man crashed into the sand, sliding several yards, ending up half-buried.

            “And!” The newcomer boomed as he came to a stop, kneeling slightly against the sand. “He’s not alone!”

            “Eligio!” Ash gaped at the Aggron. “How—?”

            “I sensed something was wrong when it started to rain,” he trudged towards the Returned Fearow, “and when I heard that roar, I _knew_.” He grabbed the monster by the beak, forcefully pulling it off the girls before spinning around and tossing the beast with great force into the distance over the ocean. “Are you alright?” He helped Misty to stand.

            “I think I twisted my knee.” She stumbled slightly. Politoed aided her trainer in finding her balance.

            “I hate saying it,” Eligio said, “but we need to keep you out of the fight.”

            “I can—!”

            “I’m sure you can,” Eligio cut off her retort. “But, I doubt that even all of us fighting will accomplish anything more than holding him at bay. It’s going to take a miracle to actually fight him off.”

            “But you just tossed a Returned into the ocean like it was _nothing!_ ” Ash pointed out, jumping out of the way as Gabite leapt past him while dodging a flame attack from the mutated Charizard.

            “That was just a monster,” Eligio said, turning to look at where Moonsbane was staggering to his feet. The ancient was shaking chunks of wet sand from his face and hair. “It’s much different when you’re against _the_ monster.” He walked over to the still paralyzed Nyx, picking him up and placing him next to Misty. “See if you can break the Fear’s hold on him, or the young Lucario there, while we buy some time.” He picked up Pikachu, who looked mildly battered and exhausted, but looked largely unhurt. “And we should probably keep him from getting severely injured, too.”

            “…Okay.”

            “Did somebody mention a Lucario?” A male voice spoke, the figure materializing between them.

            “Erasmus?” Eligio addressed the male Lucario. “I thought I left the Temple on complete lockdown.”

            “You did.”

            “You can Teleport?” Ash had a flash of recognition.

            “I can.” Erasmus looked at Ash. “I could sense the Traitor, and knew I had to fight.” He looked over to where the ancient was slowly stalking towards them, his eyes glowing a dark red. “You see,” the Lucario said, charging an Aura Sphere, “I’m from a different Order than the Temples; he can’t Fear me.” He tossed the Sphere.

            Moonsbane calmly raised his hand, grabbing the Sphere like a baseball and causally tossing it to the side.

            “Your name is Erasmus?” He approached the Lucario. “I remember you.”

            “Damn,” Erasmus muttered.

            Eligio roared, before glowing with a golden aura and launching himself at Moonsbane. The Double-Edge attack slammed the ancient against one of the rock formations, which groaned under the pressure. Moonsbane struggled, attempting to force Eligio back, but the Aggron’s sheer weight and strength managed to keep him pinned.

            “Maybe between the two of us,” Erasmus turned to Ash, “we can hold the Traitor and his pet off while you and the others to escape to Dewford.” He readjusted his blue ascot. “After all, it’s not like he still can— _duck!_ ” He cut himself off, forcing Ash to bow his head just before Eligio flew through the air above them. The Aggron hit a stone formation, breaking it into two. Everyone who was still lucid turned and looked at Moonsbane.

            The ancient’s hand was still raised in the fist that had sent the Sage soaring. The sheer strength of the blow wasn’t what caused their collective gasp; it was the blue aura that was fading from his fist and forearm. Even Moonsbane looked at his hand for a long moment, his expression dumbfound.

            “He can use the Elements again,” Erasmus breathed. “I don’t understand.”

            Moonsbane’s eyes flashed red.

            “Pull back,” he said in a calm tone. The Returned Charizard broke off from its skirmish from Gabite, flying high up into the sky and hovering in the vertical distance. Gabite turned and looked at Moonsbane in confusion. The ancient locked eyes with the Dragon-type Pokémon, his eyes flashing red again. Gabite tensed, trembling from the Blood Fear.

            “Gabite!” Ash yelled.

            _Ashura,_ Hikaru’s voice echoed in his head. _We may be in trouble._

            “Erasmus,” Moonsbane snarled, turning to the Lucario, before striding up to him. “I _remember_ you. Your disguise is insulting. You _know better_ than to fight me.” He grabbed Erasmus’s ascot, pulling him closer. “You taught us to deal with the biggest threat first, right?” Moonsbane raised his free hand to Erasmus’s chest. “I always was your best student.” In a flash of blood, a beam of orange light ripped through Erasmus from Moonsbane’s hand.

            Ash stared.

            “No!” Eligio barked, as he stumbled back to his feet.

            Moonsbane dropped Erasmus’s lifeless body.

            _Ashura!_ Hikaru echoed again. _I can fight him off, if you grant me the use of your body._

 _Uh,_ Ash hesitated, looking from the corpse to the Traitor.

            Moonsbane turned to look directly at Ash.

            _Decide quickly._

            _Do it!_ Ash told him.

            _Thank you,_ Hikaru’s voice echoed with a greater depth than before. Ash felt the flow of energy from the Elemental Orbs at his left hand as it surged through his entire body. He felt his hands form fists and his body take a fighting stance. The stance felt alien, though the overall sensation made him think of when he inhabited memories during Tests.

            “Ashura,” Hikaru said in a low voice, through Ash’s. There was a weight behind his words that Ash didn’t naturally have. Ash couldn’t see it, but his eyes were glowing a bright red.

            “Hmm?” Moonsbane tilted his head in mild curiosity. “I know that stance. Looks weird on a human, but….”

            Hikaru raised Ash’s hands to form and toss a Shadow Ball at the ancient. It hit him square on the chest, making him stumble backwards.

            “I knew it!” Moonsbane said.

            Ash vanished from sight.

            “Where’d he go?” Misty asked, looking around. Nyx’s limp, still emotionally stunned form was in her arms.

            Eligio let out the loud screech of a Metal Sound. Moonsbane clenched his eyes from the sudden sound. Nyx and Aura gasped in unison, snapping out of the Blood Fear’s trance at the same time.

            “Huh?” Nyx breathed as the sound stopped.

            “What’s going on?” Aura muttered, clenching her head.

            Ash reappeared right behind Moonsbane. Through him, Hikaru punched the Traitor with the dark purple energy of Shadow Force. He lurched forward from the force of the attack, before pivoting on one foot to turn and face the Chosen One.

            “Hikaru!” He snarled. “I should have _known_ that you’d find some way to stave off death. Coward!” He struck out with an Arm Thrust.

            Hikaru made Ash dodge the attack, before striking back with another Shadow Claw.

            “And, you’re still a huge fan of the Ghost Element I see.” Moonsbane chuckled. “Fitting for the undead, I suppose. But,” he added, pulling on his cloak, “why wouldn’t you use Dragon Breath or Dragon Pulse? You used to be nearly unstoppable with those.”

            _He knows that if I try to use an Element you don’t have, I might burn you out,_ Hikaru echoed in Ash’s mind. _It could even kill you. I don’t know how he could know that, though._

            “Shut up,” Hikaru spoke with Ash’s voice. He raised one hand, effortlessly tossing an Aura Sphere right at Moonsbane’s chest, sending the ancient flying again. “Your words have long since become a waste of the oxygen required.”

            _Though, I can’t stay in control for much longer, anyway,_ Hikaru added. _I can already feel your body starting to strain under the pressure my spirit currently puts on it. We may still be in trouble._

            “Moonsbane?” Aura muttered as she watched Hikaru—through Ash—continue the rough skirmish with the Traitor. “I…”

            “Can you help them?” Misty asked, looking back and forth between her and Nyx.

            “My body still feels tense from the Fear,” Nyx admitted. “I doubt I can do much.”

            “Aura?”

            The Lucario pulled her new dagger from her jacket. She unsheathed the blade, staring at the reflective surface.

            “I can do better than that.” She made a small cut on her arm, blood seeping down from it.

            “Aura?” Misty breathed.

            “I just need a few moments,” she insisted, pressing her opposite hand against the wound.

            Moonsbane kicked at the possessed Ash, the ancient’s foot glowing with a white aura. Hikaru made him dodge the Mega Kick, the motion fluid, just before he suddenly lurched. Ash stumbled to his knees.

            _Hikaru?_ Ash felt control of his body being surrendered back to him.

            _I…can’t. Your body…can’t…take more._

            “A false Lucario couldn’t save you,” Moonsbane said, pressing his foot down on Ash’s shoulder, forcing the teenager to bend over and face the ground. “A dead Lucario can’t make you into a warrior skilled enough to beat me. That’s two failures from the _same damn species—Aaagh_!” He snarled in frustration as he was cut off by something splashing against his face. Ash looked up to see that it was blood that was splattered across his eyes. They both looked back to the others.

            Aura stood in front of the group, her teeth bared in a deep growl, her hand still outstretched from using her own blood as a projectile weapon.

            “I guess the third time’s the charm!” She snapped.

            “You…” Moonsbane hesitated, wiping a small bit of blood onto his fingers and bringing it to his nose. “You’re awfully big for a…” His eyes widened, recognizing her either by sight or smell—or perhaps both. “No! I killed you! You’re _dead_!”

            “Yeah, not so much.” Aura gave a dark chuckle. “I am the daughter of _Arcanus_! Only a true Elemental Master could ever _hope_ to kill me!” Her expression twisted to mad glee.

            Moonsbane’s face fell to confusion, before morphing to clear terror. He didn’t speak, instead unleashing a Metal Sound attack even louder and higher-pitched than those from earlier. It overwhelmed the others’ senses, causing all of them to clench their heads and close their eyes in pain. When it faded, Ash was able to recover just in time to watch as Moonsbane flew off on the back of the Returned Charizard, disappearing over the ocean and into the distance.

            “Coward,” Aura snarled. She tore the sleeve of her jacket clean off, wrapping the leather straps around her new wound. “I knew that would make him run.”

            “Why?” Eligio asked. “He could have easily killed us all, despite what you said.”

            “Yeah.” Ash’s voice was barely audible. He looked at the corpse of Erasmus, forever stuck in the form of a Lucario, a gaping hole clean through his upper torso.

            “Because,” Aura stared in the direction he’d gone, “I taught him something important; he’s not as infallible as he thought. He couldn’t kill me. And now that has brought him two emotions he likely hasn’t felt since he was properly human.”

            “What emotions?” Misty asked.

            “Doubt. Fear. And I now embody both for him. I don’t expect him to attack us directly for a good while, not until he finds a covert way to break me.”

            “Regardless,” Eligio interrupted, “you must get to town and across to Slateport as soon as you can.”

            Aura found Jerzy, half-buried in the sand, only his head and tail visible. The masked Rattata was staring at Erasmus’s body. She pulled him up by the tail before placing him on top of her pack.

            “He’s right; we can’t let this change our plan.”

            “What happened to him?” Nyx asked, nodding towards the body.

            “Moonsbane, I assume,” Aura said.

            Ash and Misty exchanged a look.

            “Yeah.”

            Ash took Pikachu from Misty, the Electric Pokémon taking his usual place on his trainer’s shoulder. Ash then recalled Gabite to his Pokéball, as Misty recalled Politoed to hers.

            “Can someone carry me?” Nyx looked at the ground, away from the others.

            “I can’t,” Misty admitted. “I think I twisted my knee before.”

            “I’ll carry Misty,” Aura offered. “Ash, you get Nyx.”

            “…Okay.” Ash cautiously picked up the Shiny Umbreon.

            “Was I really Feared for the entire fight?” Nyx looked up at him.

            “Yes,” Aura spoke before he could. “Don’t feel guilty; I’ve seen far more hardened warriors be paralyzed by it.” She helped Misty climb onto her back, Jerzy getting out of the way to climb on top of the Lucario’s head. Once she was secure, Aura started to walk towards town, before stopping and glancing back at Eligio. “What about… him?” 

            “I will take our fallen friend back to the Temple; I will personally see to it that he gets a proper funeral.”

            “Who even was he?” Misty asked. “I mean, that Moonsbane considered him the greatest threat? And,” she turned to Ash, “what the hell happened to you during that fight? You seemed possessed.”

            _I will explain,_ Hikaru echoed in Ash’s head, _once we’re on our transport to Slateport. I should be mostly recovered by then, and it will give you time to regroup, as well._

“I’ll explain when we’re on the boat,” Ash relayed the message. “It’s…a long story.”

            “Let’s go,” Aura said, starting towards the town again. “Let’s try to get this nightmare behind us.”

 

…

…

 

Gyles woke with a start. His breath came is ragged bursts, and he felt chills as they traveled in waves down his back. He sat upright, clenching at his forehead. He struggled to regulate his breathing again.  

            “Are you alright?”

            Gyles turned sharply to face the voice. Delia was sitting back against a tree, on the opposite side of the dying campfire. She was casually whittling a bit of a tree branch into some abstract form.

            “Uh,” Gyles stammered, adjusting to his return to reality. “Yeah. Fine.”

            “You haven’t been sleeping well,” Delia stated as a mere observation, with no hint of what emotion lay behind the words.

            “I usually don’t.” Gyles pulled himself upright into a kneel, facing away from her. “Curse of growing up in the Team.”

            “…I see.” Delia looked over her shoulder, towards the mountains in the distance. “Well, we’ll be at my friend’s tomorrow; she’ll likely be able to help you, at least a little. She has this weird way of performing miracles like that.”

            “Well, it would take a mir—!” Gyles cut himself off, turning sharply to look into the woods.

            “What is it?” Delia stopped whittling to look in the same direction, squinting to try to see whatever it was.

            “Someone is coming,” Gyles said.

            “Relax, Gyles.” A male voice accompanied the figure emerging from the forest’s shadows. “If I wanted you dead, you already would be. Both of you.”

            “Vidar?” Gyles stood up. He narrowed his eyes at him. “What are you doing out here?”

            “I’m just on my way back from a mission.” Vidar, as Gyles called him, was a tall, lean man in a white dress shirt with a black vest and slacks, and a dark purple tie. His face was nearly covered in bandages, with only his lower jaw and dark teal eyes visible. His long, dark red hair was tied back in a loose braid.

            “Who is this?” Delia stood up. Her knife was sheathed back on her belt, and her hand was hidden in her jacket. Gyles assumed that she was grabbing the gun she kept hidden, somewhere in there.

            “Relax, D.” Gyles raised a hand calmly. “He’s right; if he meant us harm, he’d have hurt us before we knew he was there. This is Vidar. He’s in the Team, a personal agent of the boss.”

            “What type of agent?” Delia didn’t relax.

            “Assassin,” Vidar said in a disinterested tone. “For the most part.”

            “So, what?” Gyles asked. “You saw I was over here and just decided to come say hi?”

            “In case you haven’t noticed,” Vidar raised his hands, revealing that they were both completely bandaged, the cloth also wrapping part way up each arm, “I’m more than a little injured.” He lowered his arms. “I was just looking for a safe place to lay low for a few days while I recover. And, I figured you and your company would be safe enough for the night.”

            “I suppose it wouldn’t be good for Madame Boss’s top assassin to return in any sort of vulnerable state.” Gyles turned to Delia. “I don’t know if our destination would be safe for you, but…”

            Delia looked at him for a long moment, before turning back to Vidar.

            “My friend is _not_ going to like him,” she still refused to speak to him directly. “And, to be honest, he creeps me out.”

            _Same_ , Gyles thought. _But, I know better than to tell him. The second he doesn’t have a reason to keep me alive, he’ll probably try to kill me. I’m just trying to delay that confrontation._

            “But,” Delia continued, “if he’s injured, then she’ll probably be willing to allow him to stay until he’s healed.”

            “It’s safe?” Vidar asked.

            Delia pulled her handgun out from under her jacket. She twirled it once, before holding it securely, the muzzle pointed harmlessly at the ground. She looked at Gyles.

            “As long as you don’t cause trouble, the Keep is one of the safest places I’ve ever been to.” She coughed. “If you _do_ , though, it’s the _most dangerous_.” Contempt dripped from the last two words.

            “I think that’s about as much of a confirmation you’re going to get.”

            Vidar nodded. “Well, I don’t want to be a complete burden. Allow me to go get some more firewood, before the fire goes completely out.” With that, he vanished back into the shadows of the forest.

            “There goes any chance I had of sleep.” Delia sighed.

            “No kidding,” Gyles agreed. “I don’t trust him, and I know a certain Lucario who won’t be happy when he returns from his patrol.” He hesitated. “But, I know better than to cross him. He was already dangerous before he meet the Boss and her top Elites. I doubt she has any real control over him; he’s likely working for her out of personal amusement. Or, there’s something else in it for him. Vidar’s apparently been a highly-skilled assassin for a couple decades, now.”

            “Decades?” Delia echoed. “He hardly looks older than us!”

            “Exactly.” Gyles looked at her. “There is something inherently _wrong_ about him. Even most Pokémon instinctively hate him; probably why he doesn’t have any.”

            “Well, my friend will certainly not allow for any…shenanigans.”

            “On the upside,” Gyles admitted softly, “if he does get himself killed by her, at least I’ll finally be able to sleep a little better.”

            “I think the world would sleep better.”

            _I don’t doubt that_ , Gyles thought, leaning back against a tree trunk and preparing himself for a long, restless night. _I don’t doubt that at all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In celebration of the announcement of the Ruby/Sapphire remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, have this week's chapter a few days early!
> 
> WE WILL BE GETTING SOME ANSWERS NEXT CHAPTER I PROMISE.
> 
> Also, coming very soon (hopefully next Friday) is the first chapter of the first planned spin-off short fic, this one featuring a Young Oak. (Ironically, the second one planned focuses on Brendan and Wally. Generation III celebrations abound.) See you guys then!


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